Firearms and Community Feelings of Safety

gues that women must take responsibility for their self-defense. One choice is firearm, the ad reads, a deeply personal decision that requires deliberation, knowledge and maturity (emphasis added). More than 50% of gun owners cite protection as one reason they own firearm.' Gun owners, particularly those who own their guns for protection, report they feel safer because of their guns. For example, 89% of individuals whose primary reason for gun ownership was self-defense said yes when asked Do you feel safer because you have gun at home?2 The findings are not at all surprising. If their guns made them feel less safe, owners could simply get rid of their guns. This Article emphasizes that the decision to own firearm is more than solely personal issue or household issue-it affects others in the community as well. In the jargon of economics, the decision to acquire gun has externalities. Families who own guns could theoretically increase community safety, e.g., by deterring criminals, positive externality, or reduce community safety, e.g., by increasing the risk of accidental injury, negative externality. The externalities may be actual, perceived, or both. This Article explores whether increased gun ownership raises or lowers the perceived safety of others in the community by looking at subjective beliefs, an issue that has yet to be examined.