ABSTRACT

Do political dynamics inform concealed handguns demand better than crime levels? In this study we argue and find support for the idea that handgun demand is a product of status politics, displays of political symbolism in response to real or perceived threats to those supporting gun rights and conservative values. We also compare this argument with previous explanations of handgun demand such as crime rates and racial demographics. We find locations supporting conservative political views do have greater rates of CHL applications during moments when status politics were most likely while less support is found for criminal justice predictors.

摘要

政治动态是否比犯罪水平更好地告知隐藏的手枪需求？在这项研究中，我们论证并找到支持以下观点的支持：手枪需求是地位政治的产物，是对那些支持枪支权利和保守价值观的人的真实或感知威胁做出反应的政治象征的表现。我们还将这一论点与之前对手枪需求的解释（如犯罪率和种族人口统计）进行了比较。我们发现，在最有可能出现地位政治的时刻，支持保守政治观点的地方确实有更高的 CHL 申请率，而对刑事司法预测因素的支持较少。