Posted on 12/07/2002 9:23:44 AM PST by Atlas Sneezed
The United States has higher rates of firearm ownership than do other developed nations...
Don't Switzerland and Israel each have higher rates of ownership than the U.S. does?
Not nearly as high as Switzerland, which has a lower violent crime rate than Great Britain, where private ownership of firearms is rigidly controlled. This study's premise is flawed and its conclusions are untrustworthy or outright wrong.
So what?
All it may be saying is that where crime is a problem --- as manifested by the number of homicides --- people counteract the problem by protecting themselves and buying more guns.
The first thing I want to know is if they are distinguishing between legally-owned and illegal guns. In a 'region' like New York City, for example, most of the guns are illegal, and in the hands of the gangbangers and criminals who comprose most of the gunshot victims. I'd expect a strong correlation between 'gun ownership' and victimization if they counted an illegal weapon as an "owned' gun.
If you only count legally owned guns, and if you use an unbiased way of choosing your study areas, you'll have lots of data from places like Vermont, with very high gun ownership and very low crime. Most of the high-crime areas whould show very low (legal) gun ownership, leading to a very, very different conclusion.
I'll reserve judgement until I see the facts, but at first glance this looks bogus.
End of story. Might I suggest that their next study determine the relationship between the total number of doctors vs. total numbers of deaths (Uh-oh, as one increases, so does the other -- not that I determined causation or anything).
That's OK. You appear able to provide data printed no later than 1993 which pertains to events in 1997:
Rates of Household Firearm Ownership and Homicide Across US Regions and States, 1988–1997
Vol 92, No. 12 | American Journal of Public Health 1988-1993 | December 2002 | Matthew Miller, MD
Time travel makes up for lack of data.
That's correct, Quark, and I wanna add, that homicide does not equal death by firearm. They appear to be counting all homicides, which statistically alters the evidence of "relationship" they're trying to establish.
I should certainly hope so! Here in Texas, we have a saying that, "There's a few sunsab!tches that need shootin'!"
I would be appalled to learn that all those folks are buying guns and then failing to use them effectively for their primary purpose: self/home defense. IOW, this study obviously considers it a "bad thing" when an honest citizen blows away some scumbag perp who is threatening said citizen or his family with deadly violence.
Some "homicides" are, indeed, justified, and are, imo, worthwhile acts.
"Risk factor", my @$$! How about "enabler".
Thank you. A "pp" before the numbers would (have been) helpful.
If these people conclude pigs can fly, call PETA.
except race. hmmm. i 'wonder' how the study would have turned out.
TABLE 1 —Crude Incidence Rate Ratios of Regional Homicide in the United States by Region-Level Proxies of Firearm Prevalence, 1988–1997
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TABLE 2 —Crude and Multivariate Adjusted Incidence Rate Ratios of State-Level Homicide by State-Level Measures of Firearm Prevalence, 1988–1997
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TABLE 3 —Homicide Deaths in States With the Highest vs the Lowest Average Gun Ownership Prevalence Index, 1988–1997
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65 years
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