The COVID-19 Pandemic, Stay-at-Home Orders, and Gun Violence: A Story of Two Cities

Abstract

This study examines the impact of the pandemic on gun violence in Philadelphia and Washington DC. Interrupted time-series analysis is used to examine weekly data from January 2017 to March 2021. Robust diagnostic checks confirm the validity of the fitted models. There were significant increases in gun violence during the pandemic, especially in the staged relaxation of social distancing. The timing of the increases in gun violence varies by location and fatality. Criminal justice agencies should place more attention and reallocate resources on gun violence in a timely manner in the volatile state of the nation. Finally, this study concludes with a discussion of the findings, limitations, and implications for future research.