Lemieux – Effect of Gun Culture and Firearm Laws on Gun Violence and Mass Shootings in the United States

This paper examines the merit of two propositions at the center of the debate on gun control in the aftermath of mass shootings in the United States: (1) gun violence and mass shootings are a cultural artifact (gun enthusiast perspective); (2) gun violence and mass shootings are more prevalent due to lax regulations (pro-gun control perspective). To evaluate the value of each proposition, the study provides three levels of cross-sectional analysis that test the relation between gun culture and gun laws on deaths by guns and mass shootings (international and national incidents). The quantitative analyses points out that both cultural and legislative proposition have significant impacts on deaths by guns. While the cultural explanation seems to be related to an increase in deaths by gun, the legislative perspective is associated with a decrease in deaths by gun and mass shootings. The conclusion provides implications for future policy on gun control. ________________________________________________________________________