The Effects of Handgun Minimum Age Restrictions on Gun Violence: Evidence from U.S. States, 1979-2020

• In Event: Quasi-Experimental Studies in Criminology

Abstract

Raising the minimum age to buy or possess a handgun is a gun control measure designed to reduce gun violence. The paper examines its impact on firearm-related homicides and suicides using panel data from 36 U.S. states from 1979 to 2020. The study employs a series of triple-difference regressions that account for permit-to-purchase laws, background checks, firearm ownership rates, socioeconomic conditions, and state and year-fixed effects. By comparing changes in firearm homicide and suicide rates among individuals aged 18-24 to those aged 25 and older, the analysis indicates that raising the minimum age above 18 for private handgun purchases leads to an 11% reduction in firearm suicides among youth. In contrast, the effect on firearm homicides is non-significant, and increasing the minimum age to possess a handgun also does not result in significant changes in firearm-related deaths. These findings suggest that minimum age restrictions on private handgun purchases may play an important role in reducing youth suicides by firearm.

Author

• Alex Knorre, University of South Florida