NCJ Number
160184
Date Published
1992
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Millions of Americans keep firearms in their homes or carry handguns for self-defense; such action protects gun owners from becoming crime victims.
Abstract
Arguing for the prohibition of the private ownership and carrying of guns is often justified by the assertion that the modern state is now able to provide all the protection a person can reasonably need. Armed self-protection is derided as vigilantism. Crime rates, however, have increased in the last 20 years to the point that it is four times more likely that a person will be a victim of violence today than in 1963. The ability of the state to protect us from personal violence is limited by resources, legal restraints, and personnel shortages. The police typically respond after an attack has occurred rather than in time to prevent it. In 44 States, people can legally own and purchase pistols without obtaining a police permit for ownership. Laws do prohibit possession of handguns by felons and other undesirables. The results of various gun-law strategies can be compared because of the variety of laws among the States. Researchers have found that when a mandatory permit system is implemented, only 3 to 8 percent of the population apply for a license. These are largely individuals who perceive themselves to be at high risk of becoming a crime victim. In 1985 the United States Department of Justice conducted a study of criminal behavior. Convicted criminals were asked a series of questions about their behavior. Thirty-four percent reported that they had been scared off, shot at, wounded, or captured by an armed victim. Forty percent reported that they had decided not to commit a crime because they thought the victim was armed. Fourteen percent of the gun-owning households in the United States report that they have used a gun for protection of person or property, excluding military or police work. In 60 percent of these cases, the gun was not fired but was used only as a threat. In only 9 percent of the instances was anyone injured or killed. The reason that few crimes are committed by licensed gun owners is that criminals tend to commit crimes and acquire criminal records early in their lives. In a properly operating mandatory system, criminals cannot get licenses and seldom seek them. The chance that a citizen without any record will commit a crime is small; giving that person a gun license does not change this. Experience shows that the ownership and carrying of guns by potential victims reduces victimization both for the individual and for other potential victims.