Sam A. Kersh wrote in message ...

>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.


Kleck analyzes the problems with the NCVS in the article Jim loves to hate,
along with about a dozen other surveys that have been done over the years.
His research was specifically designed to address those errors.  Kleck also
devotes extensive discussion to factors that might have affected the
accuracy of his results, and the measures he took to minimize them.

Even Marvin Wolfgang (one of the preeminient anti-gun criminologists)
admitted in a response (published following Kleck's article in the same
journal) that he couldn't fault Kleck's methodology, even though he didn't
like the results.

It was a rare moment of honest and candor from his side of the aisle.  It
would be too much to expect the same from Jim.