Criminologist Gary Kleck, but it's been replicated plenty of times, including by the CDC that they hid the data.
In short, people report on anonymous surveys defensive gun usages at a way, way higher rate than they call the cops, mostly pulling a gun which deters a crime, and they don't call the cops because they don't want the legal trouble that goes along with that. Image that? No surprise I suppose.
Plenty of "debunking" articles out there as well, but all they do is lower it from the high end estimates of 2.5 million to some tens of thousands at the low end and hundreds of thousands at the high end. They can't disprove it entirely. The data is to strong.
High end is 2.5, but it might be higher. Lots of people don't answer survey now about gun ownership, let alone gun usage. The real rate of household gun ownership is closer to 60% and not the 40% surveys report.
Criminologist Gary Kleck, but it's been replicated plenty of times, including by the CDC that they hid the data.
In short, people report on anonymous surveys defensive gun usages at a way, way higher rate than they call the cops, mostly pulling a gun which deters a crime, and they don't call the cops because they don't want the legal trouble that goes along with that. Image that? No surprise I suppose.
Plenty of "debunking" articles out there as well, but all they do is lower it from the high end estimates of 2.5 million to some tens of thousands at the low end and hundreds of thousands at the high end. They can't disprove it entirely. The data is to strong.
Defense gun use survey data study that kicked this off: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6853&context=jclc
CDC data hidden:
https://thereload.com/emails-cdc-removed-defensive-gun-use-stats-after-gun-control-advocates-pressured-officials-in-private-meeting/
Interesting. I would think that 2 million would be the low end and the real number was much higher.
High end is 2.5, but it might be higher. Lots of people don't answer survey now about gun ownership, let alone gun usage. The real rate of household gun ownership is closer to 60% and not the 40% surveys report.