Gun Violence in the Age of Mass Migration: An Empirical Assessment of Immigration Effects on U.S. County-Level Firearm Homicides,2000–2015

Abstract

Research increasingly shows immigration has neutral or protective effects on community homicide and violence. However, less is known about whether these patterns extend to fatal gun violence. Immigration may uniquely influence such homicides as immigrants often settle in disadvantaged areas with high rates of gun violence, and Hispanic immigrants are frequently linked to gangs in public discourse, which disproportionately contribute to firearm homicides. To address this gap, this study examines nationwide county-level data from the Center for Disease Control mortality reports and the American Community Survey (2000–2015) using negative binomial and fixed-effects models. Findings indicate immigration, including Hispanic immigration, largely protects against firearm homicide with a few exceptions in fixed effects models, which supports the immigrant revitalization thesis and suggests insulating effects of immigration on lethal gun violence.