Date: Mon, 18 Nov 1996 08:15:04 -0500 (EST)
From: David McGuire <[davidm c g] at [oz.sunflower.org]>
To: Multiple recipients of list <[n--b--n] at [mainstream.net]>
Subject: KLECK STUDY
Kleck Study
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Criminologist Dr. Gary Kleck, of the University of Florida, has compiled
extensive data from polls and crime statistics. He published the following:
Attack, Injury and Crime Completion Rates in Robbery Incidents
Method of % Completed % Attacked % Injured Num Times
Self Protection Used(a)
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Used gun 30.9 25.2 17.4 89,009
Used Knife 35.2 55.6 40.3 59,813
Used other weapon 28.9 41.5 22.0 104,700
Used physical force 50.1 75.6 50.8 1,653,880
Tried to get help
or frighten offender 63.9 73.5 48.9 1,516,141
Threatened or reasoned
with offender 53.7 48.1 30.7 955,398
Nonviolent resistance,
including evasion 50.8 54.7 34.9 1,539,895
Other measures 48.5 47.3 26.5 284,423
Any self-protection 52.1 60.8 38.2 4,603,671
No self-protection 88.5 41.5 24.7 2,686,960
Total 65.4 53.7 33.2 7,290,631
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Attack, Injury and Crime Completion Rates in Assault Incidents
Method of % Attacked % Injured Estimated
Self Protection Num Times Used(a)
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Used gun 23.2 12.1 386,083
Used Knife 46.4 29.5 123,062
Used other weapon 41.4 25.1 454,570
Used physical force 82.8 52.1 6,638,823
Tried to get help
or frighten offender 55.2 40.1 4,383,117
Threatened or reasoned
with offender 40.0 24.7 5,743,008
Nonviolent resistance,
including evasion 40.0 25.5 8,935,738
Other measures 36.1 20.7 1,451,103
Any self-protection 49.5 30.7 21,801,957
No self-protection 39.9 27.3 6,154,763
Total 47.3 29.9 27,956,719
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Notes: (a) Separate frequencies in these columns do add totals in the "Any
self-protection" row since a single criminal incident can involve more than
self-protection method. Sources: Analysis of incident files of 1979-1985
National Crime Survey public use computer tapes (ICPSR,1987b).
"Significantly, Dr. Kleck notes that the victimization surveys actually
exaggerated the association of injury with gun-resistance since the surveys
generally fail to ask whether the injury occurs after and because of
resistance or whether the injury occurred first. In a supplemental
questionnaire, however, it was found that most injuries to armed resisters
preceded their resistance: "For cases involving robbery and attack, forceful
self-protection actions never preceded the attack ... even the minority of
the cases where forceful self-protective acts were accompanied by attacks on
the victim, few incidents support the contention that the victim's defensive
action provoked the attack."
As Dr. Kleck puts it in his study: "When victims use guns to resist crimes,
the crimes usually are disrupted and the victims not injured." (The American
Rifleman)
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