The research behind the RAND Gun Policy in America initiative is fully documented in several peer-reviewed research products. These include the methods and results from RAND's comprehensive review of studies examining the effects of gun policies, and analysis of the results from a survey of gun policy experts about the likely effects of gun laws. To help advance research on the effects of state gun policies, the RAND team also developed a new data set of state laws and their variants from 1979 to 2016, along with a brief paper documenting the methods behind the database. In addition, the team published a short technical report analyzing the methods and findings from a study of U.S. gun legislation and firearm mortality.
In 2020, the research review was updated to include evidence from more-recent studies and expanded to include studies dating back to 1995. Five new classes of gun policies were also examined. RAND has also developed state-level estimates of household firearm ownership from 1980 to 2016.
Featured Publications
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Contemporary Issues in Gun Policy: Essays from the RAND Gun Policy in America Project 2021
This report, part of RAND's Gun Policy in America project, presents essays that synthesize the available scientific data on topics pertinent to firearm policy in the United States, such as mass shootings and firearm and ammunition taxes.
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Changes in Firearm Mortality Following the Implementation of State Laws Regulating Firearm Access and Use 2020
Laws that regulate children's access to firearms, the carrying of a concealed firearm, and the use of a firearm in self-defense, are associated with an 11% decrease in the firearms-related death rate.
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Understanding and Using Research on Gun Policy in America: An Interdisciplinary Unit Plan Based on RAND's Gun Policy in America Website, Suggested Grades 10–12 2020
As part of the Gun Policy in America initiative, RAND researchers developed a unit plan centered on the evidence-based resources on the project website. The unit, designed for grades 10-12, helps students understand existing gun policy research.
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The Science of Gun Policy: A Critical Synthesis of Research Evidence on the Effects of Gun Policies in the United States, Second Edition 2020
This report, the second edition of an earlier work, synthesizes the available scientific evidence for the effects of various firearm policies on firearm deaths, violent crime, the gun industry, defensive gun use, and other outcomes.
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State-Level Estimates of Household Firearm Ownership 2020
As part of the Gun Policy in America initiative, researchers developed annual, state-level estimates of household firearm ownership from 1980 to 2016, which should help further research on the relationship between firearm ownership and key outcomes.
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Scientific Evidence on the Effects of State Gun Laws 2019
Testimony presented before the Pennsylvania State Senate Judiciary Committee on September 25, 2019.
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Reducing Disagreements on Gun Policy Through Scientific Research and an Improved Data Infrastructure 2019
Testimony presented before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies on March 7, 2019.
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The Science of Gun Policy: A Critical Synthesis of Research Evidence on the Effects of Gun Policies in the United States 2018
This report synthesizes the available scientific evidence on the effects of various firearm policies on firearm deaths, violent crime, the gun industry, participation in hunting and sport shooting, and other outcomes.
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The Magnitude and Sources of Disagreement Among Gun Policy Experts 2018
This report, part of RAND's Gun Policy in America initiative, describes results from a survey of gun policy experts to identify where there are shared or divergent beliefs about gun policies and where disagreements concern facts rather than values.
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Development of the RAND State Firearm Law Database and Supporting Materials 2020
Part of RAND's Gun Policy in America initiative, the RAND State Firearm Law Database is a longitudinal data set of state firearm laws that is free to the public to support improved analysis and understanding of the effects of various laws.
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Evaluating Methods to Estimate the Effect of State Laws on Firearm Deaths: A Simulation Study 2018
As part of the RAND Corporation's Gun Policy in America initiative, the authors use simulations to assess the performance of a wide range of statistical models used to estimate the effects of state gun policies on firearm deaths.
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Evaluating Methods and Findings from a Study of State Gun Policies 2016
A RAND study team reviewed an article on the effects of state firearm laws and found problems in its methods and findings. This report provides an account of the errors detected and statistical support for the study team's conclusions.
