Is There a Policy That Reduces Mass Public Shooting Deaths?

The fact that an individual is willing to commit the most serious crime that carries with it the most serious punishment means that that person is unlikely to be deterred by laws with less serious consequences. This situation is compounded by the fact that many multiple victim public shooters are expecting, even planning, to die in the commission of their crimes. Combining newly developed and traditional difference-in-differences methodologies, we analyze several policies that have been suggested as possibly effective in reducing deaths due to mass public shootings. We find that none of the proposed policies significantly reduce such deaths. However, we find evidence that mass public shooting deaths are lower in places that allow the carrying of concealed firearms

The Effectiveness of Measures to Increase Appellate Court Efficiency and Decision Output

This Article will examine the effectiveness of measures commonly employed to increase appellate court productivity. Part I of the Article sets forth some common design problems and explains how the research technique employed in the present study avoids these problems by using a multiple time-series research design. Part II applies this design to state court data. Part II also describes the dependent variable, the number of appeals decided per judge, used in the regression analysis. Part III discusses the results of that analysis-the impact of each change listed above on judicial productivity. The Article, although not advocating the adoption of the discussed efficiency measures, concludes that the failure to enact any type of efficiency measure will cause appellate courts to fall behind in the handling of their caseloads

Does the Federal Law Forbidding People under Domestic Violence Restraining Orders from Possessing Firearms Save Lives?

The Supreme Court of the United States will hear arguments concerning Federal Law 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(8) which forbids individuals who are under a Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO) from possessing firearms. This paper analyzes the potential costs of overturning that law. We estimate a variety of models to determine the effect of the law on domestic murders, domestic femicides, domestic gun murders, and domestic gun femicides. We subject the analysis to a variety of robustness checks. The results are remarkably robust. We find that 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8) does not significantly reduce domestic murder, domestic femicide, domestic gun murder, or domestic gun femicide

A benefit-cost analysis of the Virginia oyster subsidies : an historical appraisal and proposals for the future

As a leading producer of seafood in the United States, the Commonwealth of Virginia has long maintained an interest in the vitality of its private seafood industry. The present study focuses on the state\u27s oyster industry which is distinguished for its long record of producing one-third of the entire national catch, but which, recently has suffered a variety of natural ·and economic setbacks. Herein, we.wish to examine the economic value of the subsidy programs enacted to meet these recent threats to the very existence of the Virginia oyster industry

Evolution of GluN2A/B cytoplasmic domains diversified vertebrate synaptic plasticity and behavior

Two genome duplications early in the vertebrate lineage expanded gene families, including GluN2 subunits of the NMDA receptor. Diversification between the four mammalian GluN2 proteins occurred primarily at their intracellular C−terminal domains (CTDs). To identify shared ancestral functions and diversified subunit−specific functions, we exchanged the exons encoding the GluN2A (also known as Grin2a) and GluN2B (also known as Grin2b) CTDs in two knock−in mice and analyzed the mice's biochemistry, synaptic physiology, and multiple learned and innate behaviors. The eight behaviors were genetically separated into four groups, including one group comprising three types of learning linked to conserved GluN2A/B regions. In contrast, the remaining five behaviors exhibited subunit−specific regulation. GluN2A/B CTD diversification conferred differential binding to cytoplasmic MAGUK proteins and differential forms of long−term potentiation. These data indicate that vertebrate behavior and synaptic signaling acquired increased complexity from the duplication and diversification of ancestral GluN2 gene

Lawson criterion for ignition exceeded in an inertial fusion experiment

For more than half a century, researchers around the world have been engaged in attempts to achieve fusion ignition as a proof of principle of various fusion concepts. Following the Lawson criterion, an ignited plasma is one where the fusion heating power is high enough to overcome all the physical processes that cool the fusion plasma, creating a positive thermodynamic feedback loop with rapidly increasing temperature. In inertially confined fusion, ignition is a state where the fusion plasma can begin "burn propagation" into surrounding cold fuel, enabling the possibility of high energy gain. While "scientific breakeven" (i.e., unity target gain) has not yet been achieved (here target gain is 0.72, 1.37 MJ of fusion for 1.92 MJ of laser energy), this Letter reports the first controlled fusion experiment, using laser indirect drive, on the National Ignition Facility to produce capsule gain (here 5.8) and reach ignition by nine different formulations of the Lawson criterion