Determinants of Variation in State Concealed Carry Laws, 1970–2017

Publication Date

3-18-2019

Document Type

Article

Organizational Units

College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, Sociology and Criminology

Keywords

Concealed carry laws, Guns, Gun control, Gun rights, Politics, Racial threat

Abstract

Why do some U.S. states have more permissive concealed carry weapons (CCW) laws than other states? To answer this question, this study tests several plausible social, political, and economic factors thought to affect the likelihood of this outcome over several decades. Models estimated using random‐effects ordered logistic regression reveal that theoretical accounts based on partisan politics, gendered politics, economic threat, and racial threat largely explain variation in CCW laws over time. Tests for interactions, however, reveal that the influence of gubernatorial politics varies according to Republican strength in the legislature and by region. Also, the impact of racial threat on CCW laws is dependent on the crime rate. Overall, this research advances the literature by simultaneously assessing all plausible state‐level CCW policies, incorporating novel threat and political predictors, and utilizing a larger sample size than prior studies.

Copyright Date

3-18-2019

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved.

Rights Holder

Eastern Sociological Society

Provenance

Received from author

Language

English (eng)

Extent

24 pgs

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the Eastern Sociological Society. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Publication Title

Sociological Forum

Volume

34

Issue

2

First Page

434

Last Page

457

ISSN

1573-7861

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