Brain357
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- Mar 30, 2013
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I agree with much of what you are saying, but you have at least one major flaw. You are comparing an estimate of DGUs to homicides. Well every DGU is not saving a life so you really need to compare gun crimes. The most recent number I find for nonfatal gun crimes is 2011 with 467,300 victimizations:
Bureau of Justice Statistics BJS - Firearm Violence 1993-2011
So if you use the 108,000 for the NCVS survey that I think is the most accurate it is 108,000 defenses vs 467,300 plus 8500 homicides committed. Then throw in the 500 accidental deaths and 17,000 accidental shooting injuries.
Now even if you use say the 700k it is like a 20 year old number so crime is down like 30%. So even the previous 700k is now about 490,000. Then figure like 80% of those are thug on thug defenses.
Brain...again....the NCVS does not ask people if they used a gun for self defense....they ask a general question if the guy says he was a victim....did you do anything to stop the crime.....and then, only then can the defensive gun response come in....it is not even close to being an accurate study for defensive gun use....
They don't actually ask if the person used a gun for self defense.........do you get that....obviously not....
From wikipedia on the NCVS....
Defensive gun use - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
Due to screening questions in the NCVS survey, only a minority of the NCVS sample were asked a DGU question.
The NCVS is not a gun study......not even close....it doesn't count for research into defensive gun uses.....
That is hardly a good source. That is probably taken from one of your pro gun sources.
Try this source....the Daily Kos.....not a right wing pro gun site.....
Defensive Gun Use Part III - The National Crime Victimization Study
The disadvantages of this study design are:
1) the study is not specifically designed to measure DGUs;
2) the study does not track every type of crime;
3) the study does not ask every interviewee about episodes of DGU;
4) interviewees are not specifically asked about defending themselves with a gun;
5) follow-up studies have demonstrated that the incidence of assault (and especially assaults by relatives and non-strangers) in the NCVS is under-reported, and if crime is under-reported then so too will DGUs be under-reported;
6) respondents’ anonymity is not preserved, and some interviewees may therefore feel wary or unwilling to discuss gun use with federal government employees.
So brain....a liberal anti gun source shows you are wrong...again.....
This is not a gun study....and trying to make it into one because you like the low number just doesn't cut it......
From your link:
Interviewees in the study are asked about incidents of rape, sexual assault, assault, robbery, theft, household burglary, and motor vehicle theft that occurred to them personally in the previous six months. Respondents who report an incidence of crime are then asked questions about self-defense:
“Was there anything you did or tried to do about the incident while it was going on?”Responses from victims who answer they took action during the criminal attack are coded into one of 16 categories, including “attacked offender with gun; fired gun”, and “threatened offender with gun”. The interviewer continues to ask “anything else” until the crime victim reports no further actions taken. The survey follows these questions with an additional probe: “Did you do anything (else) with the idea of protecting yourself or your property while the incident was going on?'
Looks like it would pretty clearly get DGUs to me....
Even the libs at daily kos say the NCVS isn't accurate....
Brain...they don't ask all respondents if they used a gun...Kleck does.....they don't get to the gun question by asking the question...did you use a gun.......
That is one of the reasons kleck gets so many fals positives. Look to believe klecks numbers there have been 75 million defenses the last 30 years alone. You know that can't possibly be true. So clearly his numbers are greatly exaggerated.