Gun availability is a major risk factor for adolescent gun carrying, but little is known about the effect of state gun control laws on school safety. Using data from a national biennial survey of high school students, researchers examined the association between stricter gun laws and students' weapon carrying and perception of school safety during a 16-year period ending in 2015.

The sample included 926,639 students and excluded those younger than age 14. Students self-reported on weapon carrying at school, the number of times they experienced weapon threats or injuries at school, the number of school days missed because of feeling unsafe, and gun and weapon carrying at any location. The researchers used an index of state-level gun laws, with higher scores indicating stricter gun control.

During the study period, gun control scores increased in 17 states and decreased in another 17. A 15-point increase in the index was associated with a 0.8 percentage point drop in the probability of being threatened or injured with a weapon at school, a 1.9 percentage point decrease in the probability of carrying a weapon at any location, and a 1.1 percentage point drop in the probability of missing at least a day of school because of feeling unsafe.

Stricter gun laws were more strongly associated with a lower likelihood of weapon carrying among males than females. There were also racial and ethnic differences in the association between gun laws and weapon carrying.

The authors note several caveats regarding their results, including the unavailability of specific measures of firearm violence at school and that the only direct question about gun carrying wasn't asked in many states.

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