Justice Department Study

Mike Spight

New member
Some of you may have already come across this information, especially posters like DC who seem to be on an inside track regarding this type of data. I don't know the dates of this study and other particulars, but a Justice Department study by Wright/Rossi (don't know if these are individual researchers, a firm, or what...if any of you have additional info, please fill us all in) reports following interviews with 1,800 felons:
81% agreed that the "smart criminal" would try and find out if a potential victim is armed.
74% felt burglars avoided occupied dwellings for fear of being shot.
80% of "handgun predators" had encountered armed citizens.
40% had not committed a specific crime for fear the victim was armed.
34% of "handgun predators" had been scared off or shot by armed citizens.
57% felt the typical criminal was more afraid of being shot by citizens than by police.
Some of this seems familiar, especially the last one, or falls into the "duh" category (the first, second and fourth). Again, if anyone knows anything else about this study, please provide additional info. The bottomline question is whether or not the Justice Department will actually accept the results of a study they have paid for when that study reports information that is certainly favorable to private gun ownership. Even if they don't, we can certainly make good use of it. What do you think?

[This message has been edited by Mike Spight (edited April 19, 1999).]
 
This sounds much like some of the data I read in "Under the Gun", by Wright, Rossi, & Daly. Published originally, I believe, by the Univ. of Fla Press. Amazon.com has it for $49.95.

Other stuff from that book: In the interviews with prisoners at the Fla. pen at Raiford, and only with those jailed for violence, the prisoners said that if there were no handguns, they would take hacksaws to rifles and shotguns. These felons also commented that they liked anti-gun attitudes, and strict gun-control laws--made their occupations less hazardous.

The authors began their study mildly anti-gun to neutral. They concluded among other things that no gun laws ever proved useful in reducing criminal misuse of firearms.

Regards, Art
 
Back
Top