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Access to guns in the heat of the moment: more restrictive gun laws mitigate the effect of temperature on violence

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  • Colmer, Jonathan Mark
  • Doleac, Jennifer L.

Abstract

Gun violence is a major problem in the United States, and extensive prior work has shown that higher temperatures increase violent behavior. We consider whether restricting the concealed carry of firearms mitigates or exacerbates the effect of temperature on violence. We use two identification strategies that exploit daily variation in temperature and variation in gun control policies between and within states. We provide evidence that more prohibitive concealed-carry laws attenuate the temperature - homicide relationship. Our findings are consistent with more-prohibitive policy regimes reducing the lethality of altercations.

Suggested Citation

  • Colmer, Jonathan Mark & Doleac, Jennifer L., 2023. "Access to guns in the heat of the moment: more restrictive gun laws mitigate the effect of temperature on violence," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 121304, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:121304
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/121304/
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    right-to-carry; temperature; crime; homicide;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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