ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the role of private citizens in using their own resources to protect themselves from crime. Of main concern is distinguishing between crime displacement and crime deterrence. A distinction is made between observable private crime measures and unobservable ones. The main private measure discussed involves the use of guns and the role of gun control policy in affecting crime rates. Empirical studies examining various aspects of gun control policies are discussed. Such policies include shall-issue (or concealed weapons) laws, closing the gun show loophole, and gun buybacks. Further discussion includes federal versus state control of gun laws, the impact of mass shootings on gun control policy, and the relationship between private versus public crime deterrence measures.
