In article , Mike Haas
 wrote:



>              THE FIRST 12 HOURS OF 1999 IN AMERICA...

(varius statistics snipped)

>                     AND IN THAT SAME 12 HOURS...
>                     ============================
>  
> REASON CRIME WAS AVERTED  # OF CRIMES AVERTED  BASED ON DATA FROM 
> ------------------------  -------------------  ------------------
> Firearm owned by                  3475         Independant Research by
> Law-abiding citizen                            Criminologist Gary Kleck

Hmm.  Let's see.  The Austin metropolitan area, as of this morning,
contains about 1/254 of the US population.  Mr. Hass is therefore asking
us to believe,  based on "independent research by criminologist Gary
Kleck", that in the first twelve hours of the new year here is Austin,
approximately 14 crimes were averted by citizen ownership of firearms. 

It seems to me that this supposed statistic would test the credulity even
of the truest of true believers.  But, alas, I have to say I would put my
money on the credulity of the true believers, if past performance is any
indication.

I wonder what would happen if criminologist Gary Kleck were turned loose
on the crime-fighting wallop of barking dogs?  Given his methodology, I am
sure that we would find that literally thousands of crimes were prevented
in the early morning hours of the New Year right here in Austin. Indeed,
my dogs barked 6 or 8 times last night, no doubt preventing 6 or 8
burglaries in my house alone.

Best regards,

--Jim McCulloch