Do Gun‐Purchase Waiting Periods Save Lives?

Grace E. Arnold and Mitchell Blaine Priestley

Health Economics, 2025, vol. 34, issue 8, 1461-1473

Abstract: We study the impact of gun‐purchase waiting periods on suicide rates using county‐level mortality data from 1991–2019. We find that waiting periods are associated with a reduction in both firearm and overall suicide rates of approximately 5% and 2%, respectively. Novelly, we find that counties that are within 50 miles from a state without a waiting period experience no statistically significant reduction in suicides. Our findings reveal that the decrease in suicides under a waiting period is driven by counties that are more than 50 miles from a non‐restricted neighboring state.

Date: 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.4970

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:34:y:2025:i:8:p:1461-1473

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