Gary Kleck
Politico
Respondents in two Harvard surveys had more than 3 times as many offensive gun uses against them as defensive gun uses. Another study focusing on adolescences found 13 times as many offensive gun uses. Yet another study focusing on gun use in the home found that a gun was more than 6 times more likely to be used to intimidate a family member than in a defensive capacity. The evidence is nearly unanimous.
Beyond the defensive gun use versus criminal use dichotomy lies an important question: Are all defensive gun uses good? Undergirding gun advocates’ rhetoric touting the millions of defensive gun uses every year is the assumption that these uses are necessarily good. However, most cases of defensive gun use are not of gun owners heroically defending their families from criminals.
Kleck himself admitted in 1997, in response to criticism of his survey, that 36 to 64 percent of the defensive gun uses reported in the survey were likely illegal—meaning the firearm was used to intimidate or harm another person rather than for legitimate self-defense. His conjecture was confirmed by a Harvard study showing that 51 percent of defensive gun uses in a large survey were illegal according to a panel of 5 judges. This was even after the judges were told to take the respondents at their word, deliberately ignoring the tendency of respondents to portray themselves in a positive light.
Let’s assume for a moment that Kleck and Getz’s estimates are accurate. Rather than being a boon to civilized society, then, these estimates of 1 million to 2.5 million defensive gun uses annually would instead indicate an epidemic of irresponsible gun owners—millions! Lucky for us, despite what the NRA’s favorite criminologists claim, this clearly isn’t the case.
The myth of widespread defensive gun use is at the heart of the push to weaken already near catatonic laws controlling the use of guns and expand where good guys can carry guns to bars, houses of worship and college campuses—all in the mistaken belief that more “good guys with guns” will help stop the “bad guys.” As Wayne LaPierre of the NRA railed in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting: “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun.”
Well, lets start with the author's, and yours Mike, that guns do more harm than good. And as the author claims, there are more offensive uses than defensive ones.
ReplyDeleteThe gun control lobby's constant solution is to limit availability and possession of firearms as much as the Constitution allows, and then some. Along with continuing the fantasy that a future SCOTUS decision will free them to do more of the above. Or maybe the much bigger fantasy of repealing the Second Amendment.
However, looking at the recent elections and the expansion of gun rights nationwide last year, these fantasies are a long way off, if they ever happen at all. After all, Miller was the law of the land for about seventy years if memory serves.
The claim that there are more offensive uses of firearms than defensive ones, to me only underscores the need to increase defensive uses. As for the assertion that a large percentage of defensive gun uses are actually illegal, the obvious solution for that is training.
This is starting to come to the forefront in the states which have been proposing bills to implement training in the use of firearms with the overall goal of reducing unintentional injuries. And, as expected, gun control advocates are against such training, not unlike those that were against education in "safe sex" in schools were.
Granted, a lot of these classes want to promote and educate in the area of Second Amendment rights, and safety. But it wouldn't be much of a stretch to include teaching the legal aspects of using a firearm for self defense.
"As for the assertion that a large percentage of defensive gun uses are actually illegal, the obvious solution for that is training. "
DeleteYou can't simply write it off with that suggestion. You have to admit that if true, the claims of how many DGUs there are are largely false.
Illegal doesn't mean false. If someone protects themselves using a 13rd magazine in New York, does that mean it didn't happen?
DeleteIllegal means what it means.
DeleteIOW, a 'defensive' gun use may not be defensive but an attempt to harass, intimidate or threaten.
Shorter SSG Gunloon: "The answer to any gun violence problem is more guns."
Deleteor: "Guns equals sex."
DeleteJade, if that's the way your mind rolls, its not anything I have control over. I was merely using the safe sex campaign as an example. Another example would be groups teaching responsible needle use to IV drug users. This also made an impact of disease transfer.
DeleteHow about another example? Offer training in the schools in responsible gun use the way many schools offer drivers ed? Training in the responsible use of both items would be nothing but a win for everyone.
How about if I give TS credit for pointing out an interesting example? I don't think that's what Kleck had in mind though, and it certainly isn't what I had in mind. A large percentage of so-called DGUs are illegal like Jadegold pointed out, they're actually crimes of aggression. And let's not forget all the snakes and coyotes who have their rights violated every year by the gun nuts who then claim them as DGUs.
Delete"Guns equals drugs?"
ReplyDeleteThe stats show that there weren't as many gun shot deaths when America had just 100 million guns, or 200 million guns. It's not hard to say more gun have created more gun violence.
ReplyDeleteWhat "stats" are those, Peter?
DeleteYour right! It's not hard to say.
DeleteProving it tho,,,,,,,,,,,,,
I'll let you number experts do your own homework.
DeleteI'll let you number experts do your own homework.
DeleteThat sounds like a coward's way of saying, "I got nuthin'."
The stats are there, do your own homework, supporter of killing children.
DeleteNuthin' . . .
DeleteNuthin for supporters of baby killers.
DeleteSnakes and coyotes have rights?? Oh MY GOD?!?!
ReplyDelete