Clayton Cramer’s Civilian Gun Self-Defense Blog just passed its 4000th entry in around 5.5 years (an average of 1.99 entries a day). Interesting statistics to follow:
212 incidents involved concealed carry permit holders, which, I hope, also includes handgun carry permit holders and their equivalents in states that do not require concealed carry.
In six incidents, the defender’s firearm was taken away from him/her and used against him/her.
On the other hand, 183 criminals had their firearms taken away from and used on them. I think I can live with 1/30 against.
Proving that firearms are not shields, 30 incidents involved the defender being killed, and 191 incidents involved the defender being shot, but not necessarily dying.
Over a quarter (1009) of the events involved a home-invasion.
And, out of those 4000 incidents as reported by the media of 50 states, only one incident involved a mistaken identity… and police officers were the ones doing the mistaking.
And to think all of this data-recording was preciptated by an ignorant professor proclaiming that civilian uses of firearms in lawful self-defense were exceedingly rare. So much for that idea, eh?
I know, I know, people will come along and claim that fewer than 1000 recorded incidents a year is effectively statistically insignificant, especially compared to the approximately 1,500,000 violent crimes that are perpetrated every year here in America, and, honestly, they would be pretty close to right.
However, this data is already incomplete and skewed, given that it is drawn from whatever news sources consider to be newsworthy. An individual drawing his firearm to scare off some punk kid with a baseball bat, and then filing a report at a police station (or possibly even not), probably is not going to make the evening news… or even the daily blotter, and thus would not be recorded in Mr. Cramer’s weblog. And yet events like that hypothetical one happen every day around our country, whether hoplophobes are willing to admit to it or not.
Self-defense is a God-given, Constitutionally-protected, natural right, and it warms the little cockles of my heart to see so many people willing to exercise it when the situation calls for it. There may yet be hope for the human species.
words matter | those pesky facts | useful idiots |
I agree that these incidents are probably under reported. A friend of mine prevented a street robbery simply by showing his gun and saying “Guys, you don’t want to do this”. End of story, no report made. I thought he should have reported it to the police, but he didn’t see the point in it.
Well, in instances like that, the logic I have heard (and I tend to agree with it) is that it is far better for you to report the situation to the police than have the criminal report a “man with a gun threatened me”, with your description attached to the report. Sure, what you did was right, but the scumbag will paint the first picture.