Firearms Ownership, Concealed Carrying, Self-Defense Use, and Gun Buy-Backs

1. Guns in America: Results of a Comprehensive National Survey on Firearm Ownership and Use, Philip J. Cook and Jens Ludwig, Police Foundation, 1996.

   This essential study presents the results of a 1994 telephone survey on ownership and use of firearms by American adults. The survey provides the most complete data available on the private stock of firearms in the United States.

   This publication is $20.00, including shipping and handling. Call the Police Foundation at (202) 833-1460 or write to Police Foundation, 1201 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036.

   Key Facts: In 1994�

   • 44 million Americans owned 192 million firearms.
   • There were 65 million handguns.
   • Only 25% of adults own firearms.
   • 74% of gun owners possessed two or more firearms.
   • 30% of all handgun owners had an unlocked, loaded handgun in the house at the time of the survey.

   
   

2. Guns and Crime: Handgun Victimization, Firearm Self-Defense, and Firearm Theft, Michael R. Rand, Crime Data Brief, U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, April 1994.

   This important study addresses the core issue of the effectiveness of guns in the hands of civilians in combating crime.

   This publication is free. Call the National Criminal Justice Reference Services (NCJRS) at 1-800-732-3277. Ask to be placed on the NCJRS mailing list for information about all of their publications.

   Key Facts:

   • In an average year, only 1% (62,200) of actual or attempted victims of violent crime use a firearm to defend themselves.
   • Another 20,300 claim to use a firearm to defend their property during a theft, burglary, or motor vehicle theft.
   • Conversely, 341,000 firearm thefts are reported annually, the majority of which are taken from households.
   • From 1987 to 1991 offenders armed with a handgun committed an annual average of 667,000 crimes.
   • In 1992, offenders armed with a handgun committed a record 931,000 violent crimes.

   
   

3. Changes in Firearms Ownership Among Women, 1980-1994, Tom W. Smith and Robert J. Smith, The Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology, Vol. 86, No. 1, 1995, pp. 133-149.

   This article examines assertions made by pro-gun groups and the mass media on the growth of gun ownership by women since 1980. It concludes that the rate of gun ownership among women has been exaggerated.

   Key Facts:

   • On average, between the years 1980 and 1994, 48.7% of men and only 11.6% of women owned firearms.
   • Gun ownership among women is higher for married women living outside large cities, and it is associated more with hunting than with either fear of crime or past victimization.

   
   

4. Characteristics of a Gun Exchange Program and an Assessment of Potential Benefits, Michael P. Romero, Garen J. Wintemute, et al, Injury Prevention, Vol. 4, 1998, pp.206-210.

   This study surveys participants in a 1993 gun exchange program in Sacramento, California, to assess potential benefits for individuals and for host communities. Although such programs may reduce the risk of gun violence among some participants, the authors conclude that a number of factors limit their overall benefit to host communities.

   Key Facts:

   • Of 141 firearms exchanged, 72% were handguns.
   • 23% of guns exchanged were not in working order.
   • 41% of gun owners who participated owned no gun after the program.

   
   

5. Money for Guns: Evaluation of the Seattle Gun Buy-Back Program, Charles M. Callahan, MD, MPH; Frederick P. Rivara, MD, MPH; et al, Public Health Reports, Vol. 109, No. 4, July- August 1994, pp.472-477.

   This report was the first to assess the impact of a firearm buy-back program, the Seattle Gun Buy-Back Program in the fall of 1992. The report found that, while there was broad public support for the project, Seattle's gun buy-back program did not have a statistically significant impact on crime.

   
   

6. Firearm Training and Storage, David Hemenway, PhD; Sara J. Solnick, MS; et al, JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), Vol. 273, No. 1, January 4, 1995, pp. 46-50.

   This survey of 800 gun owners examines how gun owners store their weapons and the relationship between gun training and gun storage.

   Key Facts:

   • More than 20% of gun owners reported keeping a firearm both loaded and unlocked in the home.
   • Factors associated with an increased likelihood of storing guns loaded and unlocked included owning a handgun and having received firearms training.

   
   

7. Concealed Carry: The Criminal's Companion, Florida's Concealed Weapons Law�A Model for the Nation?, Susan Glick, MHS, Violence Policy Center, Washington, DC, November 1995, 48 pages.

   This study is an in-depth analysis of Florida's 1987 liberalized concealed weapons law. It concludes the law allows guns to be placed into the hands of criminals.

   This publication is $10.00, including shipping and handling. Call the Violence Policy Center at (202) 822-8200 or write to the VPC at 1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036. Follow this link to view the study's executive summary.

   Key Fact:

   • Between the months of October 1987 and July 1995, a total of 469 individuals were identified as having committed crimes�including assault with intent to murder, kidnaping/attempted kidnaping, and shooting with intent to wound�either before obtaining the Florida concealed carry license or after having been licensed.

   
   

8. Concealing the Risk: Real-World Effects of Lax Concealed Weapons Laws, Susan Glick, MHS, Violence Policy Center, Washington, DC, July 1996, 32 pages.

   A follow-up to the previous study, this report analyzes licenses revoked by the Florida Division of Licensing from May 1995 to May 1996.

   This publication is $8.00, including shipping and handling. Call the Violence Policy Center at (202) 822-8200 or write to the VPC at 1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036. Follow this link to view the study's executive summary.

   Key Fact:

   • In the period surveyed, an additional 149 individuals had their licenses revoked for crimes committed either before or after their concealed weapons license was issued. The crimes included aggravated assault with a firearm, robbery, domestic battery, and criminal sexual conduct.

   
   

9. License to Kill: Arrests Involving Texas Concealed Handgun License Holders, Susan Glick, MHS, Violence Policy Center, Washington, DC, January 1998, 24 pages.

   Two years after Texas' "shall-issue" concealed handgun license law went into effect, more than 940 arrest records existed involving concealed handgun license holders. This study examines the arrest records for this group for the period between January 1996 and October 1997.

   This publication is $5.00, including shipping and handling. Call the Violence Policy Center at (202) 822-8200 or write to the VPC at 1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036. Follow this link to view the study's key findings.

   Key Facts:

   • From January 1996 to October 1997 Texas concealed handgun license holders were arrested for 946 crimes, including 263 felony arrests.
   • Among the felony arrests, there were: six charges of murder or attempted murder involving four deaths; two charges of kidnaping; 18 charges of sexual assault; 66 assault charges, including 49 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon; and 42 weapons-related charges.
   • In the first six months of 1997 the weapon-related arrest rate among concealed handgun license holders was more than twice as high as that of the general population of Texas aged 21 years and older.

   
   

10. License to Kill, and Kidnap, and Rape, and Drive Drunk...An Update on Arrests of Texas Concealed Handgun License Holders, Susan Glick, MHS, Violence Policy Center, Washington, DC, March 1999, 11 pages.

    A follow-up to the previous study, this report examines crimes committed by Texas concealed handgun license holders between the months of November 1997 and December 1998. The report also contains a summary of concealed handgun license holder arrests from January 1, 1996, to December 31, 1998.

    This publication is $3.00, including shipping and handling. Call the Violence Policy Center at (202) 822-8200 or write to the VPC at 1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036. Follow this link to view the study.

    Key Facts:

    • In the period surveyed, more than one thousand additional Texas license holders had been arrested, bringing the total for both reports to 2,080.
    • The arrests included 15 charges of murder or attempted murder, 28 arrests for rape/sexual assault, 30 arrests for indecency with children, and 103 arrests for assault with a deadly weapon.