Cook's Index is the most commonly used proxy for firearm prevalence. This research uses New York's Pistol Permits to measure legitimate firearm prevalence and compare it to Cook's Index. In this study, Cook's Index predicted impossible values for several counties that together contained a clear majority of New York State citizens. Cook's Index was also shown to be unreliable across types of counties. Rural and Urban counties had significantly different ratios of Cook's Index to Pistol Permits in New York. The models show a general finding that the relationship between Cook's Index and legitimate firearm ownership varies depending on the Rural-Urban Continuum. A more precise and non-linear model is needed to estimate the prevalence of firearms. Finally, the way in which Rural and Urban culture affect the use of firearms needs further research.
","abstract_html":"<p>Cook's Index is the most commonly used proxy for firearm prevalence. This research uses New York's Pistol Permits to measure legitimate firearm prevalence and compare it to Cook's Index. In this study, Cook's Index predicted impossible values for several counties that together contained a clear majority of New York State citizens. Cook's Index was also shown to be unreliable across types of counties. Rural and Urban counties had significantly different ratios of Cook's Index to Pistol Permits in New York. The models show a general finding that the relationship between Cook's Index and legitimate firearm ownership varies depending on the Rural-Urban Continuum. A more precise and non-linear model is needed to estimate the prevalence of firearms. Finally, the way in which Rural and Urban culture affect the use of firearms needs further research.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Cypher, Noah R"],"institution":"The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York","degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy","degree_level":"Doctoral","degree_discipline":"Criminal Justice","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Valerie West","Candace McCoy"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":["Kitty Gelberg"],"year":2019,"date_issued":"2019-02-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2019-02-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:59:54Z","subjects":["Criminology and Criminal Justice","Cook's Index","Rural Urban Continuum","Firearm Suicide","Guns","Validation Test","New York"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3028","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Valerie West","Candace McCoy"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Kitty Gelberg"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Cypher, Noah R"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2019-01-17T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Criminal Justice"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Doctoral"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Criminology and Criminal Justice","Cook's Index","Rural Urban Continuum","Firearm Suicide","Guns","Validation Test","New York"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3028"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Cook's Index is the most commonly used proxy for firearm prevalence. This research uses New York's Pistol Permits to measure legitimate firearm prevalence and compare it to Cook's Index. In this study, Cook's Index predicted impossible values for several counties that together contained a clear majority of New York State citizens. Cook's Index was also shown to be unreliable across types of counties. Rural and Urban counties had significantly different ratios of Cook's Index to Pistol Permits in New York. The models show a general finding that the relationship between Cook's Index and legitimate firearm ownership varies depending on the Rural-Urban Continuum. A more precise and non-linear model is needed to estimate the prevalence of firearms. Finally, the way in which Rural and Urban culture affect the use of firearms needs further research.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Challenges in Measuring Firearm Prevalence: A Test of Cook's Index Across The Rural–Urban Continuum"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Valerie West","Candace McCoy"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Kitty Gelberg"],"dc:creator":["Cypher, Noah R"],"dc:date.available":["2019-01-17T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Cook's Index is the most commonly used proxy for firearm prevalence. This research uses New York's Pistol Permits to measure legitimate firearm prevalence and compare it to Cook's Index. In this study, Cook's Index predicted impossible values for several counties that together contained a clear majority of New York State citizens. Cook's Index was also shown to be unreliable across types of counties. Rural and Urban counties had significantly different ratios of Cook's Index to Pistol Permits in New York. The models show a general finding that the relationship between Cook's Index and legitimate firearm ownership varies depending on the Rural-Urban Continuum. A more precise and non-linear model is needed to estimate the prevalence of firearms. Finally, the way in which Rural and Urban culture affect the use of firearms needs further research.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3028"],"dc:subject":["Criminology and Criminal Justice","Cook's Index","Rural Urban Continuum","Firearm Suicide","Guns","Validation Test","New York"],"dc:title":["Challenges in Measuring Firearm Prevalence: A Test of Cook's Index Across The Rural–Urban Continuum"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Criminal Justice"],"thesis:degree_level":["Doctoral"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy"],"thesis:institution_name":["The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:59:54Z"}