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

This working paper examines how individuals make decisions about gun ownership—whether to acquire lethal firearms, non-lethal alternatives, or no weapons—based on their perceptions of safety and risk. Using survey and experimental data, the authors analyze how preferences for protection, beliefs about threats, and behavioral responses to policy environments shape demand for different forms of self-defense. The findings shed light on the drivers of gun ownership and inform debates on public safety policy.