> That's certainly a good way to do the study. But one > should control for the amount of crime in the neighborhood as > well, since it could well be that gun ownership is higher in > high crime neighborhoods. >
But it is also true that people's fear of crime does not always have much to do with any actual crime rate. A lot of people still think of New York City as dangerous even though it has one of the lowest crime rates of any large city in the USA, and has had for almost a decade. People who live in low-crime areas but hear or read or watch a lot about crime elsewhere may have an exaggerated fear of crime in their own areas. Conversely, basic human denial being what it is, people who live in more dangerous areas, in order to cope, may persuade themselves that things aren't really that bad. It's very hard to do reliable science outside the laboratory where you can control conditions, or at least when dealing with animate objects. I don't think anyone really knows the deterrent value of a handgun. Tom Beck www.prydonians.org www.mercerjewishsingles.org "I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last." - Dr Jerry Pournelle _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
