On Sun, 03 Jan 1999 18:07:55 GMT, csmkersh@flash.net (Sam A. Kersh)
wrote:

>mcculloch@mail.utexas.edu (Jim McCulloch) wrote:
>
>>In article , "Jerry Peacock"
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Jim McCulloch wrote in message ...
>>> >In article , Mike Haas
>>> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> >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
>>> 
>>> Sounds about right to me.
>>
>>I figured it would sound about right to you. Inasmuch as Kleck's figures
>>are wrong by a factor of 30, if we take the NCVS statistics as our guide,
>>we can assign you the full NRA credulity ranking of 30.  Most of the
>>readers of tx.guns, at least, will probably score higher than that.
>
>You believe the NCVS WAGs???  Why?   They are based on responses from
>45,400 households and about 94,000 individuals age 12 and over(1).  This
>guesstimate is out of step with at least 13 other surveys including a
>DoJ study done by Cook & Ludwig.  Even Cook & Ludwig admits that the
>NCVS is set up so that most respondents are never given an opportunity
>to respond to DGUs.
>
>1.  NCJ-165812, Nov 1997, page 9.

Even if we accept their number of 108,000 per year, that is a helluva
lot of people.  "If it can save just one life....."   What it does say
(accepting their number) is that guns save approx 3 lives for everyone
that they take.  That number includes the suicides and accidents which
would not be in a DGU situation.  If one only looks at DGU situations,
it is almost 7 times as many.

 
Sleep well tonight.....

RD (Sandman)
NRA Life Member 
SAF Life Member
http://www.azstarnet.com/~sandman

Liberals wish to rid us of guns....conservatives wish to rid us of drugs...
Between the two, they are ridding us of our rights and freedom....

Sandman, (1997)

The right there specified is that of "bearing arms for a lawful purpose." This is
not a right granted by the Constitution.  Neither is it dependent in any manner on 
that instrument for its existence.

Cruickshank 92 US 542 (1876)