Relationship Between Red Flag Laws and Mass Shootings

The purpose of the present study is to determine if there is a relationship between red flag laws and mass shootings. Mass shootings may be averted if the potential shooter’s firearms are seized per a warrant emanating from a red flag statute. Using a fixed effects model and a propensity score matching model, it was found that red flag laws are not significantly related to the number of mass shooting victims (killed and injured). One potential reason for this result is the rarity of mass shootings and the infrequency with which red flag laws are used. Data used in the present study are for the period 1999 to 2020. Mass shootings data were obtained from the Mother Jones mass shooting database. The present study is the first study in the English language literature to examine the relationship between red flag laws and mass shootings.