The Economics of Firearm Markets, Crime, and Gun Violence
Organized by Marcella Alsan, Philip J. Cook, and Sara B. Heller
Supported by Arnold Ventures
October 10, 2025
NBER, 1050 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA

Friday, October 10

8:00am

Breakfast

8:30am

Introductions
Marcella Alsan: Welcome
Philip Cook: Welcome back Kickoff
Around the Room Introductions

9:00am

Regulating Firearm Markets: Evidence from California

Adam Rosenberg, Stanford University

Discussant:
Benjamin Scuderi, University of Michigan

9:50am

The Universal Pursuit of Safety and the Demand for (Lethal, Non-Lethal or No) Guns

Marcella Alsan, Stanford University and NBER
Joshua Schwartzstein, Harvard University
Stefanie Stantcheva, Harvard University and NBER

Discussant:
Ian Ayres, Yale University

10:40am

Break

11:00am

Panel on Permitless Carry
Moderator: Sara Heller

Jumping the Gun: The Effects of Permitless Concealed Carry Laws on Crime

Susan T. Parker, Northeastern University

The Effect of Permitless Carry Laws on Homicide and Suicide

Jinlin Li, University of Southern California
Jeffrey DeSimone, Duke University

Permitless Carry Laws and Firearm Violence

Julia Fleckman Brigham C. Walker, Tulane University

11:50am

Lunch

12:50pm

Egg Timer Presentations

12:50 pm

Gun Policy and the Steel Paradox: Evidence from Oregunians

Katie Bollman, Oregon State University
Benjamin Hansen, University of Oregon and NBER
Edward A. Rubin, University of Oregon
Garrett O. Stanford, University of Georgia

1:05pm

Becoming a Shooter

Megan S. Kang, Princeton University

1:20pm

The Effects of Universal Background Check Laws on Firearm Sales

Christopher W. Poliquin, University of California, Los Angeles

1:35pm

Pigouvian Gun Taxation

Joseph G. Eisenhauer, University of Detroit Mercy

1:50pm

Ceasefire Economics: The Causal Effects of Reduced Violence on Labor Markets

Eleno Castro, Johns Hopkins University

2:10pm

The Effects of ShotSpotter Gunshot-Detection Technology on Shooting Fatality Rates

Jens Ludwig, University of Chicago and NBER
Terence Chau, University of Chicago
Philip J. Cook, Duke University and NBER
Adam K. Soliman, Clemson University

Discussant:
John Pepper, University of Virginia

3:00pm

Break

3:20pm

Competition and Self-Regulation in Illegal Sectors

Davide Zufacchi, University College London

Discussant:
Rocco Macchiavello, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

4:10pm

The Longer-Term and Health Effects of an Experiment to Reduce Gun Violence

Monica P. Bhatt, University of Chicago
Marianne Bertrand, University of Chicago and NBER
Christopher Blattman, University of Chicago and NBER
Sara B. Heller, University of Michigan and NBER
Max Kapustin, Cornell University and NBER

Discussant:
Anthony Braga, University of Pennsylvania

5:00pm

Adjourn

6:00pm

Dinner