Chicago Law and Economics Working Paper 2 prohibitions in those countries. And after a 1997 shooting at the top of the Empire State Building in which one person was killed, the Mayor of New York called for national gun licensing laws. Other laws restricting access to guns, such as waiting periods, are often justified as producing a cooling off period to prevent shooting Yet, the response to these shootings has not been uniform. In and other states, multiple shooting incidents may have helped the way for passage of concealed handgun laws permitting law- abiding citizens to carry handguns. Terrorist shootings in Israel have lead to wider licensing of citizens to carry concealed handguns. (In this paper, we use the term"shall issue law""right-to-carry"to denote a state law that sets up objective criteria for a law-abiding citizen to obtain a permit to carry a concealed handgun. Not surprisingly, those opposed to concealed handgun laws point to the loss of life and injuries that result from these shootings Their argument is straightforward: If you introduce a gun into a violent encounter. it increases the chance that someone will die. "2 Since a large number of murders may arise from fits of rage that are quickly regretted, keeping guns out of people's reach (even temporarily) might prevent deaths in many instances. Shootings in public places may be the most visible manifestation of individuals who might have refrained from such acts but for having access to guns. For example, in the recent rash of school shootings in 1997 and 1998, the perpetrators obtained their guns from relatives or neighbors. Had no guns been accessible the acts may not have been committec 2 Philip Cook quoted in Editorial, Cincinnati Enquirer, Jan. 23, 1996,A8 Others share this belief. "It's common sense, "says Doug Weil, research director at the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence in Washington. The more guns people are carrying, the more likely it is that ordinary confrontations will escalate into violent confrontations"(William Tucker Maybe You Should Carry A Handgun, " The Weekly Standard, Dec 16, 1996, See p. Cook. "The role of firearms in violent Crime, in m.e. Wolfgang and N.A. Werner, eds, Criminal Violence, Sage Publishers Newbury, N. (1982) and Franklin Zimring " The Medium is the message Firearm Caliber as a Determinant of Death from Assault, Journal legal Studies, 1(1972) for these argumentsChicago Law and Economics Working Paper 2 prohibitions in those countries. And after a 1997 shooting at the top of the Empire State Building in which one person was killed, the Mayor of New York called for national gun licensing laws. Other laws restricting access to guns, such as waiting periods, are often justified as producing a cooling off period to prevent shooting sprees. Yet, the response to these shootings has not been uniform. In Texas and other states, multiple shooting incidents may have helped pave the way for passage of concealed handgun laws permitting law￾abiding citizens to carry handguns. Terrorist shootings in Israel have lead to wider licensing of citizens to carry concealed handguns. (In this paper, we use the term “shall issue law” or “right-to-carry” to denote a state law that sets up objective criteria for a law-abiding citizen to obtain a permit to carry a concealed handgun.) Not surprisingly, those opposed to concealed handgun laws point to the loss of life and injuries that result from these shootings. Their argument is straightforward: “If you introduce a gun into a violent encounter, it increases the chance that someone will die.”2 Since a large number of murders may arise from fits of rage that are quickly regretted, keeping guns out of people’s reach (even temporarily) might prevent deaths in many instances.3 Shootings in public places may be the most visible manifestation of individuals who might have refrained from such acts but for having access to guns. For example, in the recent rash of school shootings in 1997 and 1998, the perpetrators obtained their guns from relatives or neighbors. Had no guns been accessible, the acts may not have been committed. 2 Philip Cook quoted in Editorial, Cincinnati Enquirer, Jan. 23, 1996, A8. Others share this belief. "It's common sense," says Doug Weil, research director at the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, in Washington. "The more guns people are carrying, the more likely it is that ordinary confrontations will escalate into violent confrontations" (William Tucker, “Maybe You Should Carry A Handgun,” The Weekly Standard, Dec. 16, 1996, p. 30). 3 See P. J. Cook, “The Role of Firearms in Violent Crime,” in M.E. Wolfgang and N.A. Werner, eds., Criminal Violence, Sage Publishers: Newbury, N.J.(1982) and Franklin Zimring, “The Medium is the Message: Firearm Caliber as a Determinant of Death from Assault,” Journal Legal Studies, 1 (1972) for these arguments