LAUSR

ABSTRACT This study examines county-level predictors of Tennessee Handgun Carry Permit (THCP) rates for Tennessee. Using the 2011 Tennessee Handgun Carry database, supplemented by the 2009 Uniform Crime Reports, 2009 Tennessee Higher Education County Profile, and the 2000–2010 Tennessee Population Projections. We analyzed three models including a violent crime model, a property crime model, and the full model including violent and property crime. We did not find a significant relationship between violent crime rates on THCP rates in 2010, however, our findings do suggest that property crime rates negatively impact THCP rates at the county-level. Our findings further suggest that there is a correlation between college education and THCPs across all models.