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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