Alex, in response to your challenge to me to prove that your gun is more likely to be used against you than by you during the commission of a crime, I have been looking for the statistics without using any statistics provided by the obvious pro- or anti-handgun organizations, as you requested.
I did not find EXACTLY what I was looking for, and don't have much time to spend here today, but I am off to a good start, I hope. This is part of an essay on personal safety, published by the Missouri Capitol Police. Its sources are cited in a long bibliography at the end, but not footnoted. However, none of the sources you eliminated as biased are included, so I hope you may find the information reliable. This is the url:
dps.state.mo.us
and this is the section to which I am referring:
Firearms
Firearm ownership is a deeply personal and profound decision. It is not a decision that should be made lightly.
If you choose to own a firearm, obtain training on that particular weapon. Know the proper maintenance and
care of the weapon. Know how to use it and know the laws in your state and in your area pertaining to
firearms and other weapons in general.
Statistics show however, that a firearm is not necessarily an effective weapon . Keeping a gun at home was
found to make the owner 3 more times likely to die violently by gunshot wounds than the average person
through accident, domestic violence, or an assailant using the gun against the owner.
I also have found the most wonderful search engine, courtesy of Cyberscope in the current Newsweek. It is askjeeves.com, and you ask narrative questions in complete sentence format, and it responds with hundreds of places to possibly find your answer. I love it!!! |
