Settled Science: Guns Make You Safer

A new report from the Crime Research Prevention Center shows gun ownership makes people safer.

The report, obtained by LifeZette, surveyed academics worldwide who published peer-reviewed, empirical research in criminology and economics journals. They said guns are used more for self-defense than to commit crimes; that having a gun in the home does not increase the risk of suicide; that gun-free zones attract criminals; and that concealed carry rights reduce the murder rate.

Forty-eight percent of these criminologists and economists surveyed said guns are used more often in self-defense, while only 22 percent said they were used more often to commit crimes.

[lz_table title=”Are Guns in U.S. Used More in Self-defense than for Crime?” source=”Crime Prevention Research Center”]Economists
Yes,60%
No,  9%
Don’t know                      ,31%
|Criminologists
Yes,38%
No,33%
Don’t know                      ,28%
|All
Yes,48%
No,22%
Don’t know                      ,29%
[/lz_table]

Fifty-five percent said gun-free zones attract criminals, while only 24 percent said they do not. Nearly half of those surveyed — 46 percent — said allowing people to carry a permitted, concealed handgun results in a reduction in the murder rate, while only 27 percent thought it had no effect on the murder rate. Just 7 percent claimed that legal concealed carry results in an increase in murders.

When the results are broken down by profession, economists — who apply the laws of economics to sociological issues — seem to have a much more positive view of gun ownership than criminologists, who find themselves more split on the issue. On the whole however, a majority of criminologists still generally believe gun ownership is a net positive when it comes to reducing crime and violence.

Sixty percent of economists surveyed believe that guns are used more for self-defense than in the commission of crimes, and only 9 percent believe guns are more often used to commit crimes.

[lz_table title=”Are Gun-free Zones More Likely to Attract Criminals?” source=”Crime Prevention Research Center”]Economists
Yes,74%
No,11%
Don’t Know                      ,14%
|Criminologists
Yes,38%
No,36%
Don’t know                      ,26%
|All
Yes,55%
No,24%
Don’t know                      ,20%
[/lz_table]

Thirty-one percent of economists said they didn’t know.

Criminologists are more divided on the issue. Thirty-eight percent of criminologists surveyed believe guns are used more often for self-defense, and 33 percent believe they are used more often for crimes.

Fully 74 percent of economists believe gun-free zones are more likely to attract criminals rather than deter them, while criminologists were evenly divided on the issue. A vast majority of economists said concealed carry permits reduce the crime rate, while some 41 percent of criminologists said there was no effect.

[lz_table title=”How Does Concealed Carry Affect Murder Rate?” source=”Crime Prevention Research Center”]Economists
Decreases,66%
No Effect,11%
Increases,  3%
Don’t know                      ,20%
|Criminologists
Decreases,28%
No Effect,41%
Increases,10%
Don’t know                      ,21%
|All
Decreases,46%
No Effect,27%
Increases,  7%
Don’t know                      ,21%
[/lz_table]

Only 3 percent economists said concealed carry actually results in an increase in the murder rate, but not a single one of the economists who were from North America were among them.

Only 23 percent of economists think the presence of a gun in the home increases the risk of suicide, while 57 percent say it doesn’t increase the risk at all. Criminologists, again, were about evenly divided.

Significant majorities of both economists and criminologists believe that concealed handgun permit holders are much more law-abiding than the typical Americans.

Interestingly, the report cites a 2014 Gallup report that seems to show that over time, more and more Americans have adopted views on the relationship between guns and crime similar to those of economists.

[lz_table title=”In the U.S., Does Gun in Home Increase Risk of Suicide?” source=”Crime Prevention Research Center”]Economists
Yes,23%
No,57%
Don’t know                      ,20%
|Criminologists
Yes,46%
No,44%
Don’t know                      ,10%
|All
Yes,35%
No,50%
Don’t know                      ,15%
[/lz_table]

In 2000, only 35 percent of Gallup respondents believed guns make homes safer, while 51 percent said guns make homes more dangerous. Five years later, Americans were divided equally, with 44 percent of respondents saying guns make homes safer and 44 percent saying guns make homes more dangerous.

By 2014, however, there had been a complete reversal of public opinion on the issue. In 2014, a significant majority of 63 percent said guns make homes safer, while only 30 percent believed that guns make homes more dangerous.