Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Central Florida, 2009. / Adviser: Lin Huff-Corzine. Includes bibliographical references (p. 194-201).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2007. / Description based on contents viewed June 26, 2007; title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references (p. 38-41).

The carrying of concealed weapons for protection, specifically handguns, is a widely debated topic. This is especially true on college campuses following highly publicized mass shooting events. Researching students’ projected carrying behavior if legal on campus is important because it sheds light on the extent to which a concealed carry policy would be utilized in the university context, which has implications for public safety as well as student perceptions of safety. The scholarly literature indicates that White, Southern males who own guns are most likely to favor concealed carry policies. Donald Black’s theory of self-help (1983) and the collective security hypothesis (1987) frame this investigation by exploring whether students who feel that local law enforcement is ill equipped to protect them are more likely to say that they would utilize a concealed carry policy on campus as a measure of self-protection. Analyzing survey data from a Midwestern university In the Spring of 2009 with logistic regression, it is clear that the majority of students sampled are not in favor of a policy for carrying concealed firearms onto campus. As expected males and gun owners are significantly more likely to say they would carry concealed if legal. The interaction between gender and trust in law enforcement is also significant, indicating that males are more likely to say they would carry on campus relative to females as their level of confidence in law enforcement decreases. Overall, this research does not support Donald Black’s theory of self-help and the collective security hypothesis. In order to better test the theory of self-help and the collective security hypothesis, additional measures of the key variables are warranted in future research. In addition conducting a survey on projected carrying behavior with a nationally representative sample would aid understanding as to how the broader population of students in The United States would feel and behave if concealed carry were legal on their campus. Further investigation exploring why gender and law enforcement interact in predicting projected carry behavior is warranted.

This study had as its purpose an attempt to establish on empirical grounds the role firearms control laws play in South African society. A holist methodological position was adopted from among the alternatives available for scientific social research, and the structural-functional theoretical framework of the main line tradition was employed for the purposes of the analysis. Accordingly, legislation was defined as serving a primarily integrative function in society, (integration being functionally one of four system imperatives), by translating prevailing values and norms into a stable, attributive code. A discussion of general historical and contemporary perspectives related to purpose(s), role, and efficacy of restrictive firearms legislation preceded a survey of the development of gun controls in the Republic of South Africa. Current legislative provisions in this context were then dealt with in some detail. Research into the official documentary reports of the S.A. Department of Statistics (i.e., the Report on Deaths, and Statistics of Offences), and the Annual Report of the Commissioner of the South African Pol ice, covering a period of years, was carried out and although some of the required statistical information was inadequate, or entirely non-existent, it was finally concluded on the basis of available evidence that such legislation is enacted in this society on the assumption that it serves the purposes of crime reduction and civil peace. This assumption was shown to be empirically unsupported, and an alternative approach was called for in terms of which legislators should place greater positive emphasis on the individual right to keep and bear arms. It was concluded that such a shift of emphasis would more effectively promote the defined role of legislation in South African society.

Thesis (B.A.)--Haverford College, Dept. of Political Science, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references.

Den svenska polisen styrs till stor del av reglerna stipulerade i polislag (1984:387). Däri återfinns bland annat de viktiga principerna om behov och proportionalitet som polisen måste beakta i all sitt arbete samt lagstödet som ger polisen befogenhet att använda våld. Vad gäller sådan våldsanvändning som innebär skjutvapenanvändning är det dock kungörelse (1969:84) om polisens användning av skjutvapen (skjutkungörelsen), en författning på förordningsnivå som är tillämplig.  Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka den reglering som styr polisens rätt att använda skjutvapen, framför allt den laga befogenheten, och att utifrån aktuell svenska lagstiftning belysa och kritiskt diskutera de eventuella svårigheter som regleringen ger upphov till. För att uppnå syftet har en rättsdogmatisk metod tillsammans med ett rättssociologiskt perspektiv använts och källorna har till stor de bestått av lagar, förordningar och förarbeten. Utöver detta har även material såsom doktrin, polisrapporter samt i begränsad mängd rättsfall använts.  För att en polis ska ha rätt att använda skjutvapen krävs att det görs inom de ramar som skjutkungörelsen anger. Denna reglering kan dock kritiseras på flera punkter. Förutom att den är gammal med över 50 år på nacken så är även det faktum att den befinner sig på förordningsnivå problematiskt med hänsyn till rättskällehierarkin. Vidare kan grunderna för skjutvapenanvändning och dessa grunders ordningsföljd i skjutkungörelsen kritiseras, särskilt vad gäller bestämmelsen som avser att ge polisen rätt att skjuta med laga befogenhet som stöd.  Sammantaget kan sägas att skjutkungörelsen är komplicerad och oöverskådlig, något som är extra allvarligt då den avser att användas i potentiellt pressade situationer. Att skjutkungörelsen är svår för den enskilde polisen att agera efter medför ofta att polisen inväntar en nödvärnssituation innan de skjuter. I en nödvärnssituation är både den skjutande polisen och personen mot vilken skott riktas mer stressade vilket i sin tur kan leda till att skadorna blir allvarligare eller till och med leder till att personen avlider något som eventuellt hade kunnat undvikas om polisen skjutit tidigare. Uppsatsens slutsats är således att regleringen som styr polisens rätt att skjuta inte är lämpligt utformad och att den, för den enskilde polisen skapar mer osäkerhet än vad den ger stöd. Denna reglering är därför i stort behov av en genomgripande omarbetning. / The Swedish police are largely governed by the rules stipulated in the Police Act, (polislag (1984:387). This includes the important principles of need and proportionality that the police must take into account in all their work, as well as the legal support that gives the police the power to use force. With regard to the use of force that involves the use of firearms, however, it is the firearms proclamation (kungörelse (1969:84) om polisens användning av skjutvapen), a statute at the decree level that is applicable. The purpose of the thesis is to examine the regulation that governs the police's right to use firearms, mainly the lawful authority, and to, based on current Swedish legislation, shed light on and critically discuss the possible difficulties that the regulation, mainly the firearms proclamation, gives rise to. To achieve the purpose, a legal dogmatic method has been used together with a legal sociological perspective and the sources have largely consisted of laws, decrees and legislative history. In addition to this, materials such as doctrine, police reports and a limited number of legal cases have also been used. In order for a police officer to have the right to use firearms, it must be done within the framework specified in the firearms proclamation. However, this regulation can be criticized on several points. In addition to that it is over 50 years old, the fact that it is at decree level is also problematic in respect of the legal source hierarchy. Furthermore, the grounds for the use of firearms and the order of these grounds in the firearms proclamation can be criticized, especially with regard to the provision which intends to give the police the right to fire with lawful authority as support. Overall, it can be said that the firearms proclamation is complicated and incalculable, something that is extra serious as it is intended to be used in potentially pressured situations. The fact that the firearms proclamation is difficult for the individual police to act on often means that the police chooses to wait for an emergency defense situation to occur before they shoot. In an emergency defense situation, both the shooting police and the person being shot at are more stressed, which in turn can lead to the injuries becoming more serious or even lead to the person dying. This is something that might have been possible to avoid if the police had fired earlier. The thesis' conclusion is thus that the regulation that governs the police's right to shoot is not appropriately designed and that, for the individual police, it creates more uncertainty than it provides support. This regulation is therefore in great need of a thorough revision.

The purpose of this thesis is to provide a general introduction to the field of forensic ballistics. The thesis is based on the analysis and comparison of numerous Czech and international monographies and articles, as well as on findings derived from a supervised visit to the Institute of Criminalistics Prague. As such, it provides a compact and up-to-date overview of forensic ballistics in the Czech Republic. The thesis is composed of eight chapters followed by a bibliography, an abstract and keywords. Chapter One is introductory and lays out the purpose of the thesis, the goals and the methods used. Chapter Two takes a closer look at the history and evolution of forensic ballistics, both abroad and in Czechoslovakia. Chapter Three answers the question "What is forensic ballistics?" in detail. It contains a definition of forensic ballistics and provides a reader with information about the main purpose of forensic ballistics. Chapters Four to Six are the core of the thesis. Chapter four deals with the objects examined by the forensic ballistics and is therefore subdivided into four parts, addressing each object separately: firearms, ammunition, objects struck by a bullet, and further material and immaterial objects. Chapter Five concentrates on ballistic marks and as such is subdivided into five...

Thesis advisor: Claudia Olivetti / Injuries and violence are a major public health issue and represent a threat to individual wellbeing, productivity, and societal development at large. In recent years, the public health approach to reduce violence and injury has become crucial in guiding research and public policy. Governmental and nongovernmental organizations are strengthening data collection and surveillance systems to promote research and inform policy making. Yet the idea that violence and injuries can be prevented through systematic monitoring and research is still a novel one. The three essays that comprise this dissertation make advancements in this direction focusing on the United States. The first two chapters focus on child safety, examining the issues of bullying and firearm violence at school. The third chapter expands on the topic of gun violence examining the impact of firearm legislation on the broader problem of suicide deaths. From a methodological point of view, this dissertation combines economic models with a public health approach employing both structural estimation techniques and a quasi-experimental approach. While quasi-experimental methods are effective in uncovering broad causal relationships between legislative changes and outcome measures, structural estimation methods are essential when interested in recovering deep preference parameters and performing counterfactual policy analysis. As such, this dissertation represents an example of multidisciplinary work combining Economics and Public Health, and highlights the importance of employing diverse methodologies to uncover crucial behavioral patterns and their policy implications. The first essay, titled Is School Bullying Contagious?, uses a nationwide cross-section of students to uncover peer effects in adolescent bullying behavior at school. Victimization at school has been linked to a number of adverse effects for child development and well-being, including depression, higher drop-out risk, and lower earnings during adulthood. While understanding social interactions in bullying behavior is essential to designing effective policies, previous empirical work has overlooked the impact of classmates’ behavior on the individual inclination for bullying. This essay estimates a structural model of bullying with social interactions where the individual bullying effort depends on the average effort among classmates. The model controls for individual and family characteristics, classmates’ characteristics, as well as classroom unobservable factors. The results present strong evidence of peer effects in a large number of bullying behaviors. Considering a median classroom of 20 students with five bullies, the introduction of a new bully would spawn two additional bullies due to peer influences. This suggests that social interactions can be targeted to reduce the prevalence of bullying. In particular, counter-factual policy experiments indicate that schools may achieve sizable reductions in the number of bullies by spreading them out over classrooms. The second essay, titled Gun Laws and School Safety, is joint with Summer Hawkins and Christopher Baum. Motivated by the documented link between school safety and psychological well-being, this essay examines the impact of state-level gun control on adolescent school safety. The analysis uses data on 926,639 adolescents from 45 states in the 1999-2015 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys. Students self-reported on weapon carrying at school, the number of times they had been threatened or injured with a weapon at school, the number of school days missed due to feeling unsafe, and weapon carrying at any location. For each state and year, 133 gun laws were combined into an index of gun control strength. Difference-in-differences logistic regressions were used to evaluate the impact of stricter gun laws on binary measures of school safety. Each regression controlled for individual and state characteristics, as well as year and state fixed effects. An interquartile-range (IQR) increase in the index (i.e. a 15-point increase corresponding to a strengthening of gun control) was associated with a 0.8 percentage point decrease in the probability of weapon threats at school (p=0.038) and a 1.2 percentage point decrease in the probability of missing school due to feeling unsafe (p=0.004). While we did not find a significant impact of gun laws on weapon carrying at school, an IQR increase in the index was associated with a 2-percentage point decrease in the probability of carrying weapons at any location (p=0.002). Our results suggest that the adoption of stricter state gun laws may improve school climate and subjective perceptions of safety. The third essay, joint with Summer Hawkins and Christopher Baum, is titled Gun Laws and Firearm Suicides. Between 2005 and 2015, suicide rates have been steadily increasing in the US, with firearm suicides representing over half of all suicides and the primary cause of firearm mortality. As such, firearm suicides represent an urgent policy matter and a prompt policy response is required. Using a 10-year-long panel of the 50 states, we investigated whether stricter gun laws may reduce firearm suicides, possibly by reducing firearm availability. As a reduction in firearm availability may simply result in a substitution towards alternative suicide methods, we further explored whether stricter gun laws are associated with an increase in non-firearm suicides. We analyzed 2005-2015 National Vital Statistics System mortality files from the 50 states, with 212,804 firearm suicides and 206,795 non-firearm suicides. We measured the strength of state-level gun control using an index that combines 133 different laws. We conducted difference-in-differences regression models to assess whether changes in the index were associated with changes in the number of firearm and non-firearm suicides. We found that implementing an additional gun law would result in a decrease in the number of firearm-related suicides by 2 to 4 percentage points. In addition, significant interactions between the gun score and demographic characteristics suggest that the effectiveness of stronger gun laws is the highest among individuals age 20 to 49, but seems to be null among black individuals. Although we found no overall association between a stricter gun law environment and non-firearm suicides, stricter gun laws seem to increase non-firearm suicides among white and black individuals, suggesting that additional policy actions are required to prevent suicides in these groups. Our findings are robust to controlling for demographic characteristics, state time-varying characteristics, state and year fixed effects, as well as state-specific time trends. We also provide graphical evidence that trends in suicide rates were not dependent on the level of strength of gun control, supporting the parallel trend assumption and a causal interpretation of our estimates. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics.

This dissertation analyzes the contextual background, drafting history, text, original understanding, interpretive evolution, and contemporary judicial application of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. The dissertation develops the argument that as originally understood, the Second Amendment protected a right to keep and bear arms closely linked to and dependent upon service in the lawfully established militia. Two recent United States Supreme Court decisions, Heller v. District of Columbia and MacDonald v. City of Chicago, depart from this original understanding and recognize a constitutional right to weapons possession for purposes of purely private self-defense - particularly self-defense in the home. The dissertation recognizes that there are grounds for recognizing such a right, and that these include natural law, substantive due process, procedural due process, the Ninth Amendment, and emanations from particular provisions in the Bill of Rights including the Second Amendment. At the same time, the dissertation develops the case that the original public understanding mode of interpretation avowedly applied by the Supreme Court in its recent right to arms decisions relies on untenable "law office" history to justify results not dictated by the text, structure, or original understanding of the Constitution or by prior Supreme Court precedent.

Abstract: This dissertation explores how cultural meanings around race, class, and gender shape concealed handgun licensing in Texas. This project utilizes in-depth interviews with 36 concealed handgun license holders and field observations at licensing courses and gun ranges to understand why people get a license, what their gun carrying practices are, and how they imagine criminal threat and self-defense. Through my analysis of interviews, I find that masculinity is central to how men become gun users and why they want to obtain a concealed handgun license. Women explain their desire for a CHL as rooted in feelings of empowerment. While traditional conceptions of “fear of crime” are not a motivating factor for most of the license holders I interviewed, I find that CHL holders feel vulnerable to potential crime because they assume that criminals are armed. These interviews also suggest that perceptions of criminality are highly racialized, as predominantly black spaces are marked as threatening. As I argue, part of the appeal of concealed handgun licenses is that they signify to those who have them that they are the embodiment of personal responsibility. / text