Using a Difference-in-Differences Approach to Examine the Impact of Child Access Prevention Laws on Youth Firearm Suicides

The aim of the present study is to determine the relationship between Child Access Prevention (CAP) laws and state-level youth firearm suicide rates. This paper differs from prior research in several ways. First, this is one of the few studies to focus exclusively on youth firearm suicide rates. Second, this study uses one of the largest and most recent data sets of any study on this topic. Third, this study uses a difference-in-differences approach, an empirical technique that has not been previously used to study the effect of CAP laws on youth firearm suicides. Results of the present study indicate that CAP laws are associated with lower state-level youth suicide rates.

Keywords: Child Access Prevention Laws,Youth Firearm Suicides, Difference-In-Differences, Propensity Score Matching.
JEL Codes: K14, K42.