Kyle Mayans

Date of Award

2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Fitzgerald, Keith

Area of Concentration

Political Science

Abstract

This thesis looks at the effects that certain laws have on controlling gun violence in urban areas across the United States. Specifically, it looks at the effectiveness of laws that aim to control the supply of guns in urban areas. This thesis presents the question: How effective are laws that aim to control the source of guns to urban areas at reducing gun violence in those areas? Many people assume that, in most crimes (homicide, assault, robbery), there was first an intent to commit the crime, followed by a desire to get the gun (or weapon of choice). But sometimes, the heavy presence of guns in urban areas might actually help encourage people to commit crimes with guns. A lower availability of guns in certain urban areas might reduce gun crime in those areas, either because the would-be users can’t buy a gun in those areas or because they were not as influenced by the heavy gun use and abuse in those areas. After providing background on previous on the supply side causes of gun violence, this thesis analyzes the effects that certain laws have on curbing the supply of guns in urban areas and on subsequently reducing the gun violence in those areas. The results generally show that laws and efforts aimed at combatting the supply and presence of guns in urban areas can help to reduce gun violence in those areas.

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