The Effect of Gun Policy on Sexual Assault in U.S.

Existing studies show there is a relationship between guns and sexual violence against women: the inherently coercive nature of guns facilitate sexual assault and it is the weapon most frequently used in rape victimizations. Firearms are also prevalent in abusive relationships, situations that are also rife with sexual assault. Because gun policy impacts the access and presence of guns, this paper investigates and analyzes the relationship between the strength of gun policy and the rate of rape. Using data from Giffords Law Center and states’ annual crime reports, a correlation and linear regression analysis was run on Microsoft Excel. The correlation shows a positive trend between a state’s rate of rape and gun law rankings and gun law grades. This means the weaker a state’s gun laws, the higher the rate of rape, and vice versa. The regression finds that a state’s grade in gun laws has a statistically significant effect on the rate of rape. Additionally, a poor gun law grade is associated with a rape rate significantly higher than the national average. Although underlying causes are unknown, the results indicate that women would be safer in states with strong gun laws due to decreased risk of sexual assault.