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Evan Thomas · February 9, 2013, 10:06 PM

The authors acknowledge the obvious limitations on their data and their methodology. However, the study is 9 years old, and it relies on data from 1993. Given that homicide rates in the early 90's were about double what they are now, while the percentage of gun owners in the population is about the same, one wonders how valid their conclusions, at least about homicide, are today. (Suicide rates don't show the same trend -- and have risen dramatically since the economy tanked.)

In general, the results they report don't surprise me. And they draw no conclusions about the desirability or otherwise of firearms ownership: they point out that their study couldn't assess whether the benefits of having a firearm in the home outweigh the risks. In principle, that's an empirical question, but in practice, it's difficult to answer.

However, the question of whether the public health risks of firearm possession justify government intervention isn't an empirical one -- it's one of political philosophy, and I think people who believe that it can be settled by appealing to statistics need to be reminded of that.

February 9, 2013, 10:06 PM	#7
Evan Thomas Senior Member Join Date: July 7, 2008 Location: Upper midwest Posts: 5,631	The authors acknowledge the obvious limitations on their data and their methodology. However, the study is 9 years old, and it relies on data from 1993. Given that homicide rates in the early 90's were about double what they are now, while the percentage of gun owners in the population is about the same, one wonders how valid their conclusions, at least about homicide, are today. (Suicide rates don't show the same trend -- and have risen dramatically since the economy tanked.) In general, the results they report don't surprise me. And they draw no conclusions about the desirability or otherwise of firearms ownership: they point out that their study couldn't assess whether the benefits of having a firearm in the home outweigh the risks. In principle, that's an empirical question, but in practice, it's difficult to answer. However, the question of whether the public health risks of firearm possession justify government intervention isn't an empirical one -- it's one of political philosophy, and I think people who believe that it can be settled by appealing to statistics need to be reminded of that. __________________ Never let anything mechanical know you're in a hurry.