Got this from another list…it’s amusing…
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Message: 20
Date: Thu, 5 Oct 2000 16:09:29 -0700
From: “David Mamanakis” <[email protected]>
Subject: Interesting, go out an buy a gun for safety!!

The oft quoted Kellermann paper claims a homeowner’s gun is 43 times more
likely
to kill a family member than an intruder.

Kellermann tabulated gunshot deaths occurring in King County, Washington, from
1978 to 1983. Table 1 below is taken from Kellermann’s paper (Table 3 on p.
1559).

Table 1. Classification of 398 Gunshot Deaths involving a Firearm Kept in the
Home
Type of Death No.
Unintentional deaths 12
Criminal homicide 41
Suicide 333
Unknown 3

Total 389
Self-protection homicide 9

As we see from Table 1, a ratio of 389 violent deaths to 9 justifiable
homicides
gives us the famous 43 to 1 ratio.

Let’s apply the same methodology to non-gun deaths and non-gun self-protection
homicides in the home, for King County, Washington.

Table 2. Estimation of Violent Deaths in the Home Not Involving a Firearm
Type of Death No.
Unintentional deaths 0
Criminal homicide1 50
Suicide2 347
Unknown 0

Total 397
Self-protection homicide3 4

This ratio of 397 non-gun violent deaths to 4 justifiable homicides reduces to
99 to 1.

So having applied Kellermann’s methodology to non-firearm violent death, the
risk factor more than doubles from 43 to 1 with a gun in the home, to 99 to 1
without.

Please note, the purpose of this exercise is not to show the absence of a
gun in
the home is riskier than having one. This exercise does no such thing. It is
merely to show how deeply flawed Kellermann’s study really is. Further, a
number
of tremendously important factors are left unaccounted.

OUCH!