Investigation of a Hypothetical Coupon Program to Increase Secure Storage of Firearms: A Behavioral Economic Investigation

Objective:
U.S. firearm owners prefer biometric in-vehicle lock boxes for their vehicles and lockboxes with a locking feature (e.g., PIN code or numeric dial) when firearms are stored at home. Unfortunately, preferred secure storage methods may be inaccessible to many due to cost. Coupon programs to help interested parties purchase preferred secure storage products to increase secure firearm storage have been proposed as a potential public health strategy to reduce gun violence, and data suggest that firearm owners may be amenable to such an initiative. Coupon programs have a longstanding history of success in improving important aspects of public health.

Regarding a firearm secure storage coupon initiative, determining how the program can be best messaged to increase the purchase of a secure storage product is important. For example, the optimism bias, or the general tendency to not believe disastrous outcomes will happen to oneself, likely makes framing a coupon program to reduce homicide and suicide (rare, disastrous outcomes) less effective than a program to reduce theft. Similarly, the extent to which in-home and in-vehicle storage devices must be discounted, and thus the final cost for the consumer, will likely impact purchasing behavior in such a coupon program. Thus, research determining how much people are willing to spend on preferred secure storage devices is critical for a successful coupon program.

Funded By:
New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center (GVRC)

Project Status:
In progress

Principal Investigator (PI):
Raymond P. Tucker, PhD 

Co-Investigator:
Shawn Gilroy, PhD; Ryan Hill, PhD 

Amount Awarded:
$71,220.00