Deter Crime or Escalate Violence? Evidence from Expansions to Castle Doctrine

or “stand your ground ” laws. These laws expand the legal justifi cation for the use of lethal force in self- defense, thereby lowering the expected cost of using lethal force and increasing the expected cost of committing violent crime. This paper exploits the within- state variation in self- defense law to examine their effect on homicides and violent crime. Results indicate the laws do not deter burglary, robbery, or aggravated assault. In contrast, they lead to a statistically signifi cant 8 percent net increase in the number of reported murders and nonnegligent manslaughters. I