Assessing the effect of policy interventions on small arms demand in Bogotá

In this document, we assess the market associated with the criminal use of firearms. This assessment will distinguish demand for firearms along two main axes: the markets in which they can be obtained (legal and illegal markets) and how individuals use them (criminally and non-criminally).
Specifically, we will explore the impact that active anti-gun policies and other security
interventions, established in the mid-1990s, had on reducing firearm-related homicides in
Bogotá. After reviewing the general context, we will introduce the policies that have been implemented by local administrations during the period in which the homicide rate fell drastically. We then use a variety a statistical methods to assess the impact of guncarrying and violence reduction interventions on homicide in Bogotá. The last section concludes.