Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/36943 
Year of Publication: 
2010
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 4995
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
In 1997, Australia implemented a gun buyback program that reduced the stock of firearms by around one-fifth. Using differences across states in the number of firearms withdrawn, we test whether the reduction in firearms availability affected firearm homicide and suicide rates. We find that the buyback led to a drop in the firearm suicide rates of almost 80 per cent, with no statistically significant effect on non-firearm death rates. The estimated effect on firearm homicides is of similar magnitude, but is less precise. The results are robust to a variety of specification checks, and to instrumenting the state-level buyback rate.
Subjects: 
Firearms ownership
homicide
suicide
panel data
JEL: 
I12
K14
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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