Do Castle Doctrine Laws Impact Violent Crime?
35 Pages Posted: 15 Dec 2012
Date Written: December 14, 2012
Abstract
Cheng Cheng and Mark Hoekstra, both of the Texas A&M University Economics Department, recently published a paper entitled “Does Strengthening Self-Defense Law Deter Crime or Escalate Violence? Evidence from Castle Doctrine.” They concluded that Castle Doctrine enhancements to self-defense law had no deterrent effect on burglary, robbery and aggravated assault, and increased murder. However, there are a number of errors, assumptions, and miscalculations in their research that justify revisiting the question of whether or not Castle Doctrine laws have any impact on crime.
Keywords: gun control, Castle Doctrine, Stand Your Ground, self-defense, violent crime
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