IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/intsec/v20y2025i2p162-176.html

Temporal and Spatial Effects of Mass Shootings on Gun Demand

Author

Listed:
  • Yuan Chen
  • Xun Li
  • Lisi Shi
  • Rui Wang
  • Qikexin Yu

Abstract

Mass shootings in the U.S. have been at the center of the public crisis debate for a long time. Combining information on mass shootings with background check reports from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, this study applies mass shootings as exogenous shocks and reveals that the demand for guns is especially strong in the month in which a shooting occurs, and it decays with time. In addition, results confirm a spatial spillover effect of mass shootings, in which a mass shooting in one state affects gun demand in other states. The magnitude of the effect depends on the distance between the states. Our analysis also explores the difference in the effects between states with loose regulations on handguns and long guns and those with strict regulations. In the former, gun demand increases significantly after mass shootings, whereas in the latter the increase is insignificant. Finally, this study shows that consumers respond heterogeneously given the different characteristics of mass shootings, such as the number of victims and location.

Suggested Citation

  • Yuan Chen & Xun Li & Lisi Shi & Rui Wang & Qikexin Yu, 2025. "Temporal and Spatial Effects of Mass Shootings on Gun Demand," International Studies of Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(2), pages 162-176, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:intsec:v:20:y:2025:i:2:p:162-176
    DOI: 10.1002/ise3.101
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/ise3.101
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/ise3.101?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. McDonald, John F., 1999. "An economic analysis of guns, crime, and gun control," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 11-19, January.
    2. Philip J. Cook & Jens Ludwig, 2006. "Aiming for evidence-based gun policy," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(3), pages 691-735.
    3. Pak, Tae-Young, 2022. "The effects of mass shootings on gun sales: Motivations, mechanisms, policies and regulations," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 44(6), pages 1148-1164.
    4. Paluch, Stefanie & Wünderlich, Nancy V., 2016. "Contrasting risk perceptions of technology-based service innovations in inter-organizational settings," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(7), pages 2424-2431.
    5. Abadie, Alberto & Dermisi, Sofia, 2008. "Is terrorism eroding agglomeration economies in Central Business Districts? Lessons from the office real estate market in downtown Chicago," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 451-463, September.
    6. Forsythe, Sandra M. & Shi, Bo, 2003. "Consumer patronage and risk perceptions in Internet shopping," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 56(11), pages 867-875, November.
    7. Philip J. Cook, 1981. "The Effect of Gun Availability on Violent Crime Patterns," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 455(1), pages 63-79, May.
    8. Sandra V. Rozo, 2018. "Is Murder Bad for Business? Evidence from Colombia," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 100(5), pages 769-782, December.
    9. Thomas Marsh & Ted Schroeder & James Mintert, 2004. "Impacts of meat product recalls on consumer demand in the USA," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(9), pages 897-909.
    10. Gerdes, Madison B, 2023. "Assessing the relationship between gun ownership and fear of mass shootings," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 336(C).
    11. Kraus, Sascha & Ambos, Tina C. & Eggers, Felix & Cesinger, Beate, 2015. "Distance and perceptions of risk in internationalization decisions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(7), pages 1501-1505.
    12. Sascha Kraus & Tina Ambos & Felix Eggers & Beate Cesinger, 2015. "Distance and perceptions of risk in internationalization decisions," Post-Print hal-02011127, HAL.
    13. Julie Berry Cullen & Steven D. Levitt, 1999. "Crime, Urban Flight, And The Consequences For Cities," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 81(2), pages 159-169, May.
    14. Seth Freedman & Melissa Kearney & Mara Lederman, 2012. "Product Recalls, Imperfect Information, and Spillover Effects: Lessons from the Consumer Response to the 2007 Toy Recalls," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 94(2), pages 499-516, May.
    15. Ellen, Ingrid Gould & O'Regan, Katherine, 2010. "Crime and urban flight revisited: The effect of the 1990s drop in crime on cities," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(3), pages 247-259, November.
    16. Olivier Blanchard & Roberto Perotti, 2002. "An Empirical Characterization of the Dynamic Effects of Changes in Government Spending and Taxes on Output," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 117(4), pages 1329-1368.
    17. Olaf De Groot, 2010. "The Spillover Effects Of Conflict On Economic Growth In Neighbouring Countries In Africa," Defence and Peace Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(2), pages 149-164.
    18. Jensen Brock & P. Wesley Routon, 2020. "The effect of mass shootings on the demand for guns," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 87(1), pages 50-69, July.
    19. Michael Coates & Shanna Pearson-Merkowitzz, 2017. "Policy Spillover and Gun Migration: The Interstate Dynamics of State Gun Control Policies-super-," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 98(2), pages 500-512, June.
    20. Mark Gius, 2015. "The impact of state and federal assault weapons bans on public mass shootings," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(4), pages 281-284, March.
    21. Michelle Barnhart & Aimee Dinnin Huff & Brandon McAlexander & James H. McAlexander, 2018. "Preparing for the Attack: Mitigating Risk through Routines in Armed Self-Defense," Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, University of Chicago Press, vol. 3(1), pages 27-45.
    22. Cross, Benjamin W. & Pruitt, Stephen W., 2013. "Dark Knights Rising: The Aurora Theater and Newtown School Massacres and Shareholder Wealth," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 452-457.
    23. Bronars, Stephen G & Lott, John R, Jr, 1998. "Criminal Deterrence, Geographic Spillovers, and the Right to Carry Concealed Handguns," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(2), pages 475-479, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nathaniel J. Glasser & Harold A. Pollack & Megan L. Ranney & Marian E. Betz, 2022. "Economics and Public Health: Two Perspectives on Firearm Injury Prevention," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 704(1), pages 44-69, November.
    2. Anandasivam Gopal & Brad N Greenwood, 2017. "Traders, guns, and money: The effects of mass shootings on stock prices of firearm manufacturers in the U.S," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(5), pages 1-29, May.
    3. Fe, Hao & Sanfelice, Viviane, 2022. "How bad is crime for business? Evidence from consumer behavior," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    4. Chen Zhou & Shrihari Sridhar & Rafael Becerril-Arreola & Tony Haitao Cui & Yan Dong, 2019. "Promotions as competitive reactions to recalls and their consequences," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 47(4), pages 702-722, July.
    5. Javed, Arslan & Onculer, Ayse, 2026. "Self-other discrepancy: the role of decision transparency in risky choices," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    6. Liu, Yulong & Yu, Yang, 2018. "Institutions, firm resources and the foreign establishment mode choices of Chinese firms: The moderating role of home regional institutional development," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 111-121.
    7. Del Bosco, Barbara & Cristina Bettinelli, 2020. "How Do Family SMEs Control Their Investments Abroad? The Role of Distance and Family Control," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 60(1), pages 1-35, February.
    8. Mozas-Moral, Adoración & Moral-Pajares, Encarnación & Medina-Viruel, Miguel Jesús & Bernal-Jurado, Enrique, 2016. "Manager's educational background and ICT use as antecedents of export decisions: A crisp set QCA analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(4), pages 1333-1335.
    9. Gerdes, Madison B, 2023. "Assessing the relationship between gun ownership and fear of mass shootings," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 336(C).
    10. Henrique Correa da Cunha & Mohamed Amal & James Mark Viminitz, 2022. "Formal vs. Informal Institutional Distances and the Competitive Advantage of Foreign Subsidiaries in Latin America," Economies, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-25, May.
    11. Bauweraerts, Jonathan & Arzubiaga, Unai & Diaz-Moriana, Vanessa, 2022. "Unveiling the global focus-performance relationship in family firms: The role of the board of directors," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(4).
    12. Rosa Ferrer & Helena Perrone, 2023. "Consumers’ Costly Responses to Product-Harm Crises," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 69(5), pages 2639-2671, May.
    13. Drydakis, Nick, 2024. "Business disruptions due to social vulnerability and criminal activities in urban areas," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    14. Blondiau, Yuliya & Reuter, Emmanuelle, 2019. "Why is the grass greener on the other side? Decision modes and location choice by wind energy investors," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 44-55.
    15. Sloan, CarlyWill & Caudill, Steven B. & Mixon, Franklin G., 2016. "Entrepreneurship and crime: The case of new restaurant location decisions," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 5(C), pages 19-26.
    16. Alexis Catanzaro & Christine Teyssier, 2021. "Export promotion programs, export capabilities, and risk management practices of internationalized SMEs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(3), pages 1479-1503, October.
    17. Hua, Nan & Yang, Yang, 2017. "Systematic effects of crime on hotel operating performance," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 257-269.
    18. Belaounia, Samia & Bouslama, Ghassen, 2025. "International intensity, regional dispersion, and institutional distance: How a multinational configuration shapes capital structure," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(6).
    19. Ott, Christian, 2020. "The risks of mergers and acquisitions—Analyzing the incentives for risk reporting in Item 1A of 10-K filings," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 158-181.
    20. Basu, Debarati & Mitra, Shabana & Purohit, Archana, 2023. "Does effective democracy explain MNE location choice?: Attractiveness to FDI and cross-border M&As," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:intsec:v:20:y:2025:i:2:p:162-176. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.