Did Loosening Gun Control Cause A Nationwide Drop In Homicides?

By Erich Pratt

According to a recent study, the homicide rate in the United States plummeted in 2023. The drop was so drastic in fact, the study’s author was quoted saying that this is likely one of the fastest declines in homicides ever recorded.
But is there a reason for the decline? We think so. It’s possible that the removal of gun control may have played a critical role in this decline.
In 2022, the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in the case NYSRPA v. Bruen.
If you need to get more familiar with Bruen, the case focused on the petitioners’ struggle to obtain a concealed carry permit in New York. Obtaining a New York concealed carry permit was notoriously hard to achieve because of New York’s restrictive “may issue” system for permitting.
In the Bruen ruling, the Supreme Court removed the State’s power to refuse concealed firearm permits to law-abiding citizens. Following this ruling, there was a massive surge in concealed carry permit applications in states known for tight regulations, like Maryland, California, and New York.
With the increase in concealed carry permits, criminals no longer could have confidence that their victims would be unarmed. This may likely have contributed to the drop in homicides nationwide.
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Source: Gun Owners of America