Firearm availability and firearm incidents: quasi-experimental analysis using start of US hunting seasons
Objective To take advantage of the arbitrarily timed increase in firearm and ammunition availability brought on by the start of deer hunting seasons to study its impact on hunting, and importantly, non-hunting related firearm incidents. Design Quasi-experimental analysis using start of hunting season in United States. Setting Populations of US states with highest number of hunting accidents reported in the Gun Violence Archive for deer hunting seasons between 2016 and 2019. Participants 10 US states (Alabama, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin). Main outcomes and measures Average per capita weekly rates of firearm incidents overall and among specified categories of firearm incidents in the periods before, during, and after the opening of deer hunting seasons combined into a single analysis across four years and 10 states, adjusting for state fixed effects. Results Compared with control periods before and after the opening period,
