Do not Just Blame the Gun: The Midwestern Insight into the Relationship between Gun Laws and Firearm Mortality

Gun violence has been a prevalent phenomenon in the United States for decades. The article investigates the extent to which the reality in the Midwestern states reflects empirical assumptions regarding the impact of gun laws on firearm mortality rates. It proceeds according to a coherent framework constructed from synthesized scholarly findings. Based on the conducted comparative analysis of five Midwestern states, selected according to the Most Similar Systems Design (MSSD) approach, the findings indicate that while firearm suicides operated as predicted, firearm homicides failed the empirical assumptions as the state with the most robust gun laws fell remarkably behind others. The article concludes that implementing alternative measures addressing the availability of guns and development programs in disadvantaged communities, alongside traditional gun laws, may help decrease firearm homicides in American states.