One thing that I must address is the issue of the Kellerman study. This is the link to the NEJM site:
http://www.nejm.org/content/1993/0329/0015/1084.asp and as I stated earlier in this thread the real problem was not firearms, but 'high risk' behaviors. This is a quote from the NEJM site conclusions, in fact the COMPLETE text of the conclusions:
[quote][b]Conclusions. The use of illicit drugs and a history of physical fights in the home are important risk factors for homicide in the home. Rather than confer protection, guns kept in the home are associated with an increase in the risk of homicide by a family member or intimate acquaintance. (N Engl J Med 1993;329:1084-91.)[b][quote]
Now I can show using Kellerman's data why he came to those conclusions. He seemed to go out of his way to chose 'high risk' homes to include in the study. Note percentage differences in the Case Subjects he chose to use compared to his control group. I have not included all the Behavorial Factors, only the more severe and those that actually caused problems in the home. Note especially the incidence of arrests, drug use, and fighting in the study group.
Case
Variable Subjects Controls
Behavorial Factors
Drinking caused problems in 92 (24.8) 22 (5.7)
the household
Any household member had troubk 32 (9.0) 3 (0.8)
at work because of drinking
Case subject or control had trouble 20 (5.5) 1 (0.3)
at worlc because of drinking
Any household member hospitalized 41 (11.4) 9 (2.3)
because of drinking
Case subject or control hospitalized 28 (7.6) 2 (O.S)
because of drinking
Any household member used 111 (31.3) 23 (6.0)
illicit drugs
Case subject or control used 74 (20.3) 16 (4.2)
illicit drugs
Any physical fights in the home 92 (25.3) 13 (3.4)
during drinking
Any houehold member hit or hurt 117 (31.8) 22 (5.7)
in fight in the home
Any family member required medical 62 (17.3) 8 (2.1)
attention because of fight in
the home
Any adult houschold member 103 (29.9) 70 (18.8)
involved in physical fight
outside tbe bome
Any household member arrested 193 (52.7) 90 (23.4)
subject or control arressted 132 (36.0) 60 (15.7)
Kellerman had an agenda and ignored risk factors that might explain the a high incidence of violence. One thing I found particularly odd was his choice to include black households as a very high percentage in relation to their actual presence in society. From other studies mentioned we already know that blacks are disporportionately represented as homicide victims in relation to their population percentage and it seems that Kellerman has exploited this to make his point. Below is a portion of table 1.
Table 1. Characteristics of 420 Homicides
Committed in the Homes of the Victims.*
Characteristic # OF Victums
Race
White 140 (33.3%)
Black 260 (61.9%)