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44 J.L. & Econ. 615 (2001)
Violence, Guns, and Drugs: A Cross-Country Analysis

handle is hein.journals/jlecono44 and id is 623 raw text is: VIOLENCE, GUNS, AND DRUGS: A CROSS-COUNTRY ANALYSIS* JEFFREY A. MIRON Bastiat Institute and Boston University ABSTRACT Violence rates differ dramatically across countries. A widely held view is that these differences reflect differences in gun control and/or gun availability, and certain pieces of evidence appear consistent with this hypothesis. A more detailed exami- nation of this evidence suggests that the role of gun control/availability is not com- pelling. This more detailed examination, however, does not provide an alternative explanation for cross-country differences in violence. This paper suggests that dif- ferences in the enforcement of drug prohibition are an important factor in explaining differences in violence rates across countries. To determine the validity of this hy- pothesis, the paper examines data on homicide rates, drug prohibition enforcement, and gun control policy for a broad range of countries. The results suggest a role for drug prohibition enforcement in explaining cross-country differences in violence, and they provide an alternative explanation for some of the apparent effects of gun control/ availability on violence rates. I. INTRODUCTION VIOLENCE rates differ dramatically across countries. Each year there is roughly one homicide per 100,000 persons in England or Japan but nine per 100,000 in the United States. Moreover, these differences have persisted over long time periods; they suggest fundamental differences in the determinants of violence across countries, not just transitory variation. A widely held view is that these differences result from differences in gun control and/or gun availability, and certain pieces of evidence appear con- sistent with this hypothesis.' Most notably, England and Japan have restrictive * I thank John Lott for inviting me to prepare this paper for the American Enterprise Institute conference Guns, Crime, and Safety; Dan Kahan, Ed Glaeser, George Benston, Dennis Carlton, and an anonymous referee for comments on an earlier draft; seminar participants at Harvard University and the University of South Carolina for useful discussion; and especially my discussant, Mark Ramseyer, for a careful critique of an earlier draft. 'See, for example, Martin Killias, International Correlation between Gun Ownership and Rates of Homicide and Suicide, 148 Can. Med. Ass'n J. 1721 (1993); and Martin Killias, Gun Ownership, Suicide, and Homicide: An International Perspective, in Understanding Crime: Experiences of Crime and Crime Control 289 (Anna Alvazzi del Frate, Uglijesa Zvekic, & Jan J. M. van Dijk eds. 1993). [Journal of Law and Economics, vol. XLIV (October 2001)] C 2001 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. 0022-2186/2001/4402-0012$01.50

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