Similarly the evidence is there that OVERALL the presence of a gun in a house renders the inhabitants less, not more, safe.For every intruder there are several accidents.
When you say "the evidence is
there "... where is "there"?
That's been done somewhere recently-from memory it was about 22 times more likely that a family member was shot by accident than a burglar but I've no source to back this up.
Generally-and there are exceptions of course-people illegally entering a home aren't interested in confrontation , they just want the loot and a quick exit, preferably unnoticed.Where victimisation occurs the criminal will most likely be armed too which changes the rules.
Whoa!
I think you are trying to have it both ways...
Let's examine 2 of your assertions in detail:
1) "people illegally entering a home aren't interested in confrontation"
2) "Where victimisation occurs the criminal will most likely be armed too "
Why are they armed if they are not being confrontational?
An armed intruder entering someone else's home is being confrontational regardless of the other circumstances, wouldn't you say??
Anyone breaking into someone else's home is being confrontational.
Do you realize that according to your strict definition for "confrontational" home invasions, every single rape and attempted rape during a break-in is an "exception"?
Do you assume a rape is not a confrontation? Or do you assume that it isn't the intruder's intent to be confrontational during the rape?
Why is it that you believe the only type of victimization is when the intruder murders you?
Ok, let's use your incredibly strict criteria:
Source: U.S. Dept of Justice
and U.S. CDC - National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
2005:
==> Homicides committed during felony (burglary,theft, rape, etc..) :
2,432
(note: "unknown" is
6,295 - certainly a large portion of these are felony related as well)
==> Percentage of Felony Homicides involving guns (80%).
2,432(.8) =
1946
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/circumst.htm
2005:
==> Unintentional Firearm Deaths
All Races, Both Sexes, All Ages -
789
http://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/mortrate10_sy.html
According to these two sources, you are more than 2 times as likely to be killed by a firearm during a felony than to be a victim of a fatal unintentional firearm accident.
(More than 3 times as likely if you include your chances of being killed by a different weapon such as a knife)
Other info:
Offenders had or used a weapon in 48% of all robberies ->
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/cvict_c.htm
9% of all felonies involved a firearm ->
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/guns.htm
===========================
As D-Rock mentioned, many other studies make a similar mistake. Apparently they only count a "defense" with firearms where "physical attacks had already commenced." This is far too restrictive.
Even people who take this restrictive view (David McDowall) find that guns were used in defense 64,615 times annually. (6 times as numerous as victims of gun homicide during the same period)
Others (such as Gary Kleck) that attempt to also take into account defenses with firearms where no shots are fired, find 2.45 million crimes are thwarted each year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_States
