Using Placebo Laws to Test "More Guns, Less Crime

Author: Helland E / Tabarrok A
Publication: Advances in Economic Analysis and Policy
Topics: Crime Legislation and Policy Public Health Social Science
Keywords: Gun carrying Statistics methodology permit
Bibliographic information +

The authors examine a study on the effect of shall-issue gun permit laws on crime. They review a controversial paper authored by Lott and critique it on its statistical assumptions, particularly regarding its mishandling of standard errors. They use a placebo law technique and conclude that statistical failures suggested greater certainty in effects than was actually the case.