criminals armed with handguns committed a record 931,000 violent crimes in 1992"
If you banned hand guns this number would drop dramatically.
The Safety Paradox: Injuries and Deaths Related to Firearm Use
Although most people obtain handguns for home or personal protection, the actual use of a handgun for this purpose appears to be uncommon. In fact, wielding a gun in a home invasion crime can be more harmful than beneficial. In one study of 197 such crimes in Atlanta, a gun was successfully used to repel an intruder in only three cases (1.5%); whereas, in six cases (3.0%), the intruder actually reached the homeowner's gun first or seized it during a scuffle with the victim.17
Firearm-related death in the home is rarely related to strangers breaking in. One study of homicides revealed that 70% of murders were committed by a relative or intimate of the victim, with only 4% of murders traced to an intruder; in the remainder of cases, the victim-perpetrator relationship was unknown.18 The National Crime Victimization Survey reported 85,000 annual defensive uses of guns both inside and outside the home and one million instances of offensive uses of guns in injuries, deaths and criminal victimizations,19 suggesting that outcomes with guns are much more often negative than positive. Further research is necessary to determine how often guns are used for self-protection. For another perspective on firearm use for self-protection, see A Perspective on Carrying a Gun for Self-Protection on in this Box.
Handgun ownership concerns physicians because of subsequent medical problems when guns, particularly loaded weapons, are kept in the home. Violent acts are easier to commit when guns are already present. In one study, homicides were almost three times more likely to occur when there was a gun in the home.19 The risk of suicide also increased; adolescents were 13 times more likely to commit suicide with a handgun in the home and 32 times more likely if the gun was loaded. Adolescents with a diagnosis of depression or another psychiatric disorder had a reduced risk of suicide when a gun was not present at home.20
Unintentional injuries present additional problems. The National Electronic Surveillance System identified 34,485 unintentional injuries over a recent two-year period. Most unintentional injuries are self-inflicted, occur when cleaning or playing with guns, and involve handguns rather than rifles. Thirty-eight percent of unintentional injuries were serious enough to warrant hospitalization, and 1,500 people died in a two-year interval from reportedly unintentional gunshot wounds.21 A Government Accounting Office (GAO) report postulated that 30% of the injuries could be avoided or mitigated by changes in firearm design.23
Finally, the most unrecognized problem related to firearms is domestic violence. Thirty to forty percent of women murdered in the United States are killed in domestic disputes, and 50% of black women and 25% of white women who attempt suicide are trying to escape battering.22 Handguns indeed appear to facilitate injury and death associated with antisocial and aggressive behavior, substance abuse, abuse of women and simple human mistakes. |
