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Media coverage and firearm acquisition in the aftermath of a mass shooting

Author

Listed:
  • Maurizio Porfiri

    (New York University
    New York University)

  • Raghu Ram Sattanapalle

    (New York University)

  • Shinnosuke Nakayama

    (New York University)

  • James Macinko

    (University of California)

  • Rifat Sipahi

    (Northeastern University)

Abstract

With an alarming frequency, the United States is experiencing mass shooting events, which often result in heated public debates on firearm control. Whether such events play any role in recent dramatic increases in firearm prevalence remains an open question. This study adopts an information-theoretic framework to analyse the complex interplay between the occurrence of a mass shooting, media coverage on firearm control policies and firearm acquisition at both national and state levels. Through the analysis of time series from 1999 to 2017, we identify a correlation between the occurrence of a mass shooting and the rate of growth in firearm acquisition. More importantly, a transfer entropy analysis pinpoints media coverage on firearm control policies as a potential causal link in a Wiener–Granger sense that establishes this correlation. Our results demonstrate that media coverage may increase public worry about more stringent firearm control and partially drive increases in firearm prevalence.

Suggested Citation

  • Maurizio Porfiri & Raghu Ram Sattanapalle & Shinnosuke Nakayama & James Macinko & Rifat Sipahi, 2019. "Media coverage and firearm acquisition in the aftermath of a mass shooting," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 3(9), pages 913-921, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nathum:v:3:y:2019:i:9:d:10.1038_s41562-019-0636-0
    DOI: 10.1038/s41562-019-0636-0
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    Cited by:

    1. Kristina M. LaPlant & Keith E. Lee & James T. LaPlant, 2021. "Christmas Trees, Presidents, and Mass Shootings: Explaining Gun Purchases in the South and Non‐South," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 102(1), pages 387-406, January.
    2. Pak, Tae-Young, 2022. "The effects of mass shootings on gun sales: Motivations, mechanisms, policies and regulations," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 44(6), pages 1148-1164.
    3. Gunadi, Christian, 2021. "On the Tragedy of Mass Shooting: the Crime Effects," GLO Discussion Paper Series 951, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    4. Soni, Aparna & Tekin, Erdal, 2020. "How Do Mass Shootings Affect Community Wellbeing?," IZA Discussion Papers 13879, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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