Several U.S. cities have seen rates of gun crimes fall after they adopted constitutional carry laws, a new study has found.
The study analyzed data on crime rates for before and after a constitutional carry law was implemented in Ohio.
The researchers found that gun crimes dropped in six of the state’s eight largest cities.
A report from the Ohio Star cited the work on the study by the Center for Justice Research.
The organization is a project of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Bowling Green State University.
A little over a year ago, Ohio became the 23rd state to allow residents to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.
The study looked at what followed after the change in law.
The cities reviewed were:
- Columbus
- Cleveland
- Cincinnati
- Toledo
- Akron
- Dayton
- Parma
- Canton
Yost shared results from the study in a post on X:
Six of Ohio’s eight largest cities saw less gun crime after the state’s “constitutional carry” law took effect, according to a study published today by the Center for Justice Research, a partnership between the office of AG Yost and @bgsu.
Details: https://t.co/6gYnmJOdfe pic.twitter.com/OGCEgYPF2L— Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (@OhioAG) January 3, 2024
Researchers looked at information about crimes involving firearms, the report said.
In Parma, gun crime fell by 22% after concealed carry laws were adopted.
It was down 18% in Akron and Toledo.
It dropped 6% in Cleveland and 11% in Columbus.
It was down marginally in Canton.
While the overall gun crime rates were significantly lower across the state, two cities did see increases.
In Dayton, the reports were up 6% and in Cincinnati, 5%.
Speaking about the study, Yost said:
“This is not to downplay the very real problem of crime in many neighborhoods in our cities – you don’t need a research team to see that gun violence destroys lives, families, and opportunity.
“The key takeaway from this study is that we have to keep the pressure on the criminals who shoot people, rather than Ohioans who responsibly exercise their Second Amendment rights.”
