Disrupting Gun Transfers, Los Angeles, California, 2014-2015 (ICPSR 37163)
Version Date: May 17, 2023 View help for published
Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s)
Priscillia Hunt, RAND Corporation;
Andrew R. Morral, RAND Corporation
https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR37163.v1
Version V1
Summary View help for Summary
The data was used to provide estimates of the effects of a Los Angeles letter program on citywide levels of homicide, robbery, and aggravated assault with a firearm. This study will provide the city of Los Angeles and other jurisdictions in California (and beyond) with information on the impact and cost-effectiveness of an innovative gun letter program. This project involves the following:
- statistical analysis of gun-level data to assess program impact on reporting guns lost or stolen,
- statistical analysis to evaluate the impact of the program on city-level crimes involving a firearm, and
- assessment of program costs.
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Funding View help for Funding
Subject Terms View help for Subject Terms
Geographic Coverage View help for Geographic Coverage
Smallest Geographic Unit View help for Smallest Geographic Unit
City
Distributor(s) View help for Distributor(s)
Time Period(s) View help for Time Period(s)
Date of Collection View help for Date of Collection
Data Collection Notes View help for Data Collection Notes
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These data are being re-distributed without the full ICPSR product suite. The files have been zipped for release following minimal processing.
Study Purpose View help for Study Purpose
The purpose of this study was to assess the program to send letters to handgun purchasers during their ten-day waiting periods between purchase and taking possession of the firearm. The letter advised the purchaser that the new weapon was registered to them and that failure to properly record any transfer or loss of the weapon with California's Department of Justice could result in the owners' liability for any future misuse of the gun.
Study Design View help for Study Design
The city of Los Angeles, California launched a citywide gun letter program. Letters were sent to all handgun purchasers residing in zip codes within Los Angeles from January 1, 2013 through September 1, 2015. The letter explained the duty of handgun owners to conduct any sale or transfer through a licensed dealer, and that failure to do so could lead to prosecution. In addition, the letter emphasized other criminal penalties that could be brought against gun owners who knowingly transferred, sold, or lent a firearm to anyone prohibited from possessing one, including someone with a known mental disorder. Furthermore, it emphasized that if a child gained access to the handgun and injured himself, herself, or others, the gun owner was subject to criminal prosecution.
Time Method View help for Time Method
Universe View help for Universe
Handgun purchases in the state of California.
Unit(s) of Observation View help for Unit(s) of Observation
Data Source View help for Data Source
Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data: Arrests by Age, Sex, and Race, United States, 2014 (ICPSR 36394)
Bureau of Labor Statistics
U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey
Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data: Supplementary Homicide Reports, 2014 (ICPSR 36393)
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System
Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data: Offenses Known and Clearances by Arrest, 2014 (ICPSR 36391)
Data Type(s) View help for Data Type(s)
Mode of Data Collection View help for Mode of Data Collection
Description of Variables View help for Description of Variables
The first two files listed are organized by year, month, and agency. The first file is comprised of information from 24 states, but the second file is limited solely to the state of California.
- foranalysis_post2001_monthly.csv: (42 variables, 6,216 cases) - year (2001 - 2014) and month, geography (state and county), agency name and size, and crime totals (e.g., manslaughter, murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary)
- foranalysis2015_w_covs_Oct262016_sort.csv: (69 variables, 1,344 cases) - year (2008 - 2015) and month, geography (state and county), agency name and size, crime totals (e.g., manslaughter, murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary), arrests, and population characteristics
- mapping.csv: (3 variables, 168 cases) - year (2001 - 2014) and month
Response Rates View help for Response Rates
Not applicable
Presence of Common Scales View help for Presence of Common Scales
None
HideNotes
The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.
ICPSR usually offers files in multiple formats for researchers to be able to access data and documentation in formats that work well within their needs. If you have questions about the accessibility of materials distributed by ICPSR or require further assistance, please visit ICPSR’s Accessibility Center.
This dataset is maintained and distributed by the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD), the criminal justice archive within ICPSR. NACJD is primarily sponsored by three agencies within the U.S. Department of Justice: the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.