Firearm Prevalence and Homicide

• Author: Matthew D. Moore
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016817724198
• Published date: 01 September 2017
• Date: 01 September 2017
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

Firearm Prevalence and

Homicide: An Examination of

Urban and Suburban Counties

Matthew D. Moore

1

Abstract

Examinations of firearm prevalence and crime have produced mixed results. The mixed research

results and lack of knowledge about the amount of firearms in the United States make it difficult for

researchers to assess the role that firearm prevalence plays in crime. The current analysis argues

that the equivocal results could be due to location type because different locations may define the

use and ownership of a firearm in different ways. Densely packed urban centers may be affected by

firearm prevalence differently than sparsely populated rural areas. The current analysis created

metro, nonmetro, and rural location types to examine the relationship between firearm prevalence

and homicide. The findings illustrate that firearm prevalence significantly predicts the number of

homicides in metro counties but does not significantly predict firearm prevalence for nonmetro and

rural counties.

Keywords

ecology and crime/spatial analysis, crime/delinquency theory, violent behavior, other, crime

prevention, law enforcement/security

Research on the relationship between firearm prevalence (i.e., the number of firearms in a defined

area) and crime has produced mixed results (Branas, Richmond, Culhane, Ten Have, & Wiebe,

2009; Kleck, 1988; Kleck & Gertz, 1995; Lott, 1998; Lott & Mustard, 1997; Miller, Azrael, &

Hemenway, 2002; Moore & Bergner, 2016; Siegel, Ross, & King III, 2013). Arguments about the

role of firearm prevalence in crime are not only being made in academic settings, but by politicians

and the public, thus demonstrating the importance of this topic. However, there is no clear consensus

currently to the exact role that firearms play in crime across the United States.

To further muddle the discussion on firearm prevalence and crime, it is difficult to obtain accurate

information on the prevalence of firearms in the United States. Federal law bans the creation of a

database or some form of tracking system on firearms, and there may be wide regional differences in

firearm ownership. For instance, Azrael, Cook, and Miller (2004) estimated that the Northeast had a

1

Department of Sociology, Criminology, and Anthropology, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR, USA

Corresponding Author:

Matthew D. Moore, Department of Sociology, Criminology, and Anthropology, University of Central Arkansas, 306I Irby

Hall, Conway, AR 72035, USA.

Email: mdmoore@uca.edu

Criminal Justice Review

2017, Vol. 42(3) 315-326

ª2017 Georgia State University

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DOI: 10.1177/0734016817724198

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