A new study challenges the belief that gun-free zones attract active shooters. In the first quantitative study of its kind, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, researchers found that gun-free zones may actually reduce the likelihood of mass shootings. According to their findings, gun-free zones do not make establishments more vulnerable to shootings. Instead, they appear to have a preventative effect.
In recent years, mass shootings have been a distressing and recurring issue in the United States. This has sparked heated debates around gun laws and safety, with gun-free zones frequently caught in the crossfire. Gun-free zones are areas where individuals are prohibited from carrying firearms, such as schools, malls, and certain businesses. Critics argue that these zones create “soft targets” for shooters because they prevent people from defending themselves with firearms.
Despite the prominence of this argument, no quantitative studies had previously examined whether gun-free zones truly increase the risk of mass shootings. In fact, a comprehensive literature review found no empirical evidence either supporting or refuting these claims. This gap in research motivated the UC Davis team to conduct their study.
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The study’s most striking finding was that gun-free zones were less likely to experience an active shooting than gun-allowing zones. Of the 150 shootings examined, 48% took place in gun-free zones, while 61.3% of the control locations (where shootings did not occur) were gun-free. This indicates that gun-free zones are not disproportionately targeted by shooters.
In fact, establishments that prohibited firearms were found to be 62.5% less likely to have an active shooting incident compared to places where guns were allowed. This association remained strong even after adjusting for potential confounding factors, such as the distance of the establishment to the nearest police station.
“I wasn’t expecting to find a protective effect because the sample size is small and gun-free zone enforcement can be widely variable,” Reeping told PsyPost. “Nevertheless, even with these limitations, a protective effect was still found.”
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Article URL : https://www.psypost.org/first-of-its-kind-study-shows-gun-free-zones-reduce-likelihood-of-mass-shootings/