Does Strengthening Self-Defense Law Deter Crime or Escalate Violence? (2013)

TITLE: Does Strengthening Self-Defense Law Deter Crime or Escalate Violence? (2013)
SOURCE: Journal of Human Resources
AUTHOR(S): Cheng Cheng & Mark Hoekstra
LINK: http://econweb.tamu.edu/mhoekstra/castle_doctrine.pdf
BITLY WEB STATS: http://bit.ly/MCmKwC+

RESEARCH QUESTION: Do “stand your ground” laws (present in 20 states) deter crimes?
FINDINGS: Results indicate the laws do not deter burglary, robbery, or aggravated assault.  In contrast, they lead to a statistically significant 8 percent net increase in the number of reported murders & non-negligent manslaughters.

Guns in homes pose greater risk to families than to intruders (2012)

TITLE: Guns in homes pose greater risk to families than to intruders, data show (2012)
SOURCE: Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel
AUTHOR(s): James Rowen
URL: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/purple-wisconsin/184209741.html

NOTES: for every time a gun in or around the home was used in self-defense, or in a legally justified shooting, there were four unintentional shootings, seven criminal assaults or homicides, & 11 attempted or completed suicides. That’s one self-defense shooting for 22 accidental, suicidal or criminal shootings — hardly support for the notion that having a gun handy makes people safer. Other studies show that women & children are disproportionately the victims of such gunshots, & that when children commit suicide, guns in their home or at their friends or relatives’ homes are used.

TWEETS: https://twitter.com/hospiceman/status/304677583583326208

Risks and Benefits of a Gun in the Home (2011)

TITLE: Risks and Benefits of a Gun in the Home (2011).
SOURCE: American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine (AJLM)
LINK: http://ajl.sagepub.com/content/5/6/502.short
AUTHOR: David Hemenway

FINDINGS: (1) scientific studies indicate that the health risk of a gun in the home is greater than the benefit; (2) there is no credible evidence of a deterrent effect of firearms or that a gun in the home reduces the likelihood or severity of injury during an altercation or break-in.
NOTE: This is a literature review.

Link Between Gun Possession & Gun Assault (2009)

TITLE: Investigating the Link Between Gun Possession & Gun Assault (2009)
SOURCE: American Journal of Public Health
AUTHOR(S): C.C.Branas, et al.
URL: http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.2008.143099
WEB STATS: https://bitly.com/xr3n8z+
FIELD: Public Health

RESEARCH QUESTION: What is the relationship between possession of gun & being shot in an assault?

FINDINGS: (1) On average, guns have not protected those who possessed them from being shot in an assault; (2) Individuals in possession of a gun were 4.46X more likely to be shot during an assault than individuals who were not in possession of a gun when assaulted; (3) When the victim had an opportunity to defend self (i.e. use gun), an armed victim was 5.45X more likely to be shot than an unarmed victim.

TWEETS: https://twitter.com/hospiceman/status/304693111760773120