ABSTRACT This study investigates the impact of shall-issue policy on crime rates at the state level in the United States. A formal analysis of the effect on crime rates is useful in supporting or refuting the claim that crime rates increase or decrease in states that have shall-issue policy intact. The methodology used in this research is ordinary least squares regression analysis. The variables of interest include crime rate totals such as property crime totals and violent crime totals. The evidence suggests that a shall-issue policy has little to no effect on crime rates. On the other hand, a no-issue and a may-issue policy both have a significant impact on crime rates. Therefore, policy makers might consider the less permissive policies when crime rates are the objective.
