Statistics on Defensive Gun Use in America...

[Denis Franklin, MD]

Anti gun activists often claim that estimates of the defensive (arguably beneficial) use of guns are a tissue of lies.

Politifact says, "There is no conclusive evidence that  gun use reduces harm to people."

Referring to 9mm pistols, Biden said recently, "...the idea of these high caliber weapons is, uh, there's simply no rational basis for it in terms of thinking about self protection."

These numbers came to my attention a couple of days ago.  I summarized the source just to have the numbers readily to hand.

I thought they might offer evidence to the contrary, should anyone actually care to consider them.

Defensive Gun Use (DGU) study...

• William English, PhD
• 54,200 subjects over the age of 18
• Included 16,708 gun owners
• Results
• 32% of Americans over 18 own guns
• 31% of gun owners have used a gun defensively, self or property (not military or police usage)
• Defensive Gun Uses occur 1.67 million times a year
• (About 3/4 of the time, outside the home...)
• 82% of the time, no shots fired, no one hurt... Ergo often not reported
• 21 million Americans carry a gun in public...
• 48% of gun owners have magazines  >10 rounds...
• 30% of gun owners have AR-15-style guns...
• More than half of Defensive Gun Uses involve more than one assailant...

1995 Study - Congressional Research Service

DGU occur at 2.1 to 2.5 million per year

1997 Study - National Institute of Justice

DGU occur at 4.7 million per year

Obama Administration Study

DGU at least as common as offensive uses by criminals -- ranging fro 500,000 to more than 3 million...

I think that more than one recent rampage killer was stopped by an armed citizen, but I do not expect to affect the opinions of those who minds are made up.

I'm just sayin', in the present environment...

Denis

[Jim Delton]

Obama had Harvard medical do a study on this question, presumably to prove it wrong. Study showed either net benefit or a wash depending on how you interpreted the data. It quickly disappeared from the news. I posted it to IE previously. 

Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

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[Korky Day]

Having a gun in the USA as it is today sounds like it might be good.

But how about in the USA as it would be if it were like a country with much gun control, or a medium amount, like Canada has (I guess)?