Our new research paper is available to read here. Abstract In 2021 we wrote a short paper noting that truncating the sample when estimating the effect of right to carry laws on crime could be biased by comparisons to states that already adopted the law, instead of...
Constitutional Carry
South Carolina Becomes the 29th Constitutional Carry State, 46.8% of Americans now live in Constitutional Carry States, with 67.7% of the area
On March 7th, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster signed legislation making South Carolina the 29th state in the nation adopt Constitutional Carry. As of July 2024, there will be 29 Constitutional Carry states when Louisiana's law goes into effect, covering 46.8%...
Louisiana Becomes the 28th Constitutional Carry State, 45.2% of Americans now live in Constitutional Carry States, with 66.9% of the area
As of July 2024, there will be 28 Constitutional Carry states, covering 45.2% of Americans (152 million) and 66.9% of the country (2.54 million square miles). Our work on Constitutional Carry is available here.
New York Times quotes Dr. John Lott on Texas’ new Constitutional Carry law
The New York Times has a surprisingly balanced news story on Texas’ new Constitutional Carry law. See Mr. David Goodman's article quoted below. That said, a truly balanced piece wouldn’t have cited research on only one side of the issue. Dr. Lott told Mr. Goodman...
Published Research: Do Right to Carry Laws Still Reduce Violent Crime?
The CPRC has some new research published in Academia Letters. The research finds statistically significant reductions in murder from the adoption of Constitutional Carry laws (see Table 3). ConclusionLate adopting states issue fewer permits than early adopting states,...
Responding to GVPedia’s False Claims about Constitutional Carry Laws
Professor Carl Moody and Dr. John Lott have put together a response that Devin Hughes' GVPedia has put together attacking research that Professor Moody did on the impact of Constitutional Carry laws and other writing by Lott. A copy of Hughes' latest claims is...
In the Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal Star: Constitutional carry, Gun story missed key elements
Dr. John Lott had a letter to the editor that appeared in the Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal Star that responded to a news article in newspapers around Nebraska about an op-ed that Lott had with Nebraska state Senator Tom Brewer. A Jan. 20 World-Herald article...
Changes in Crime and Killings of Police After Constitutional Carry Adopted
We have previously provided empirical work on the impact of Constitutional Carry Laws (download the paper here, and see particularly Table 3), but sometimes simple graphs that show the year-by-year changes are more convincing. With Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Indiana,...
Why Constitutional Carry Makes a Difference: Due to technical issues Alabama has stopped issuing Concealed Handgun Permits
The constitutional carry bill’s most significant change is to allow people to carry a gun more quickly if need arises. Sheriff’s departments in Alabama try to issue concealed handgun permits within 30 days after someone has met the requirements. If a woman is being...
At PennLive: Don’t fear constitutional carry: it makes sense and promotes safer communities
Here is an op-ed that I wrote with Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward (though you wouldn't know it until you get to the tag line at the end of the piece). It’s always the same predictions of doom and bloodshed from gun-control activists. They warn us of...
At the Orlando Sentinel: Passing constitutional-carry laws for handguns is common sense
Dr. John Lott has an op-ed with Florida State Representative Anthony Sabatini in the Orlando Sentinel and also the Daily Commercial and the Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville). Gun-control advocates keep making the same predictions of doom and bloodshed from...
Texas has Constitutional Carry for a week, as expected the news is that so far there are no problems
With 20 other states with Constitutional Carry, it isn't too surprising that Texas has so far experienced no problems with its new law that has been in effect for a week. As we have seen in other states, at about the six month mark and surely at the one year mark,...