Harvard Study: No Correlation Between Gun Control And Less Violent Crime

[piezoe]

Quote from Max E. Pad:

Or you could just wait till propublica puts their varnish on it.

Mainly they do investigative reporting. I'm not sure the Harvard study is the kind of thing they do. Who sponsored the Harvard study? Do you happen to know. I'll see if I can access the actual study.

Found it! That was easy. Here: http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/jlpp/Vol30_No2_KatesMauseronline.pdf

I wouldn't pay much attention to the O.P. if you really want to know what the study concluded, if anything. I'd recommend going to the original.

 

[Lucrum]

Quote from piezoe:

...Who sponsored the Harvard study?...

Are you suggesting Harvard would lie about study results to suit a sponsor?
Just the other day you were preaching the integrity of academia.

 

[Max E.]

Quote from piezoe:

Mainly they do investigative reporting. I'm not sure the Harvard study is the kind of thing they do. Who sponsored the Harvard study? Do you happen to know. I'll see if I can access the actual study.

Found it! That was easy. Here: http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/jlpp/Vol30_No2_KatesMauseronline.pdf

I wouldn't pay much attention to the O.P. if you really want to know what the study concluded, if anything. I'd recommend going to the original.

From the study:

[T]here is no consistent significant positive association be‐
tween gun ownership levels and violence rates: across (1)
time within the United States, (2) U.S. cities, (3) counties
within Illinois, (4) country‐sized areas like England, U.S.
states, (5) regions of the United States, (6) nations, or (7)
population subgroups . . . .
12.......

CONCLUSION
This Article has reviewed a significant amount of evidence
from a wide variety of international sources. Each individual
portion of evidence is subject to cavil—at the very least the
general objection that the persuasiveness of social scientific
evidence cannot remotely approach the persuasiveness of
conclusions in the physical sciences. Nevertheless, the bur‐
den of proof rests on the proponents of the more guns equal
more death and fewer guns equal less death mantra, espe‐
cially since they argue public policy ought to be based on
that mantra.149 To bear that burden would at the very least
require showing that a large number of nations with more
guns have more death and that nations that have imposed
stringent gun controls have achieved substantial reductions
in criminal violence (or suicide). But those correlations are
not observed when a large number of nations are compared
across the world.

 

[piezoe]

Quote from Lucrum:

Are you suggesting Harvard would lie about study results to suit a sponsor?
Just the other day you were preaching the integrity of academia.

No, not at all. But knowing the sponsor can be a clue as to why the study was carried out, though that is usually stated in the results, but not always.. I would expect the results to be impartial... However if the Gun Manufacturers Association, for example, commissioned a study done by a for profit, or political organization, then I would be concerned about integrity. The level of integrity among academics is about as high as you will find. That is not to say it's reached perfection, but it is at least a step or two above that found in the business world where "business ethics" is an oxymoron. Individuals in academia have their own personal biases just like everyone else, but their training allows them to hold their personal biases in check better then some.

 

[Max E.]

from the study

Over a decade ago, Professor Brandon Centerwall of the Uni‐
versity ofWashingtonundertook anextensive, statistically sophis‐
ticated study comparing areas in the United States and Canada to
determine whether Canada’s more restrictive policies had better
contained criminal violence. When he published his results it was
withthe admonition:


If you are surprised by [our] finding, so [are we]. [We] did
not begin this research with any intent to “exonerate” hand‐
guns, but there itis—a negative finding, to be sure, but a nega‐
tive finding is nevertheless a positive contribution. It directs us
wherenottoaimpublichealthresources.150

 

[Lucrum]

Quote from piezoe:

No, not at all.

Then why ask?

But knowing the sponsor can be a clue as to why the study was carried out

Why would it matter if the results are accurate?

The level of integrity among academics is about as high as you will find....

LOL Ah that's a good one.

 

[piezoe]

This study is very interesting . I would think those who advocate for stronger gun control in the U.S. should read it in its entirety. It is loaded with data. I have been an opponent of automatic and semiautomatic guns -- though it is a little late to do much about them. The study did not change my mind on that issue, but it did make me rethink gun control in general.

http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/jlpp/Vol30_No2_KatesMauseronline.pdf

 

[Lucrum]

Quote from piezoe:

...I have been an opponent of automatic and semiautomatic guns...

Oh for crying out loud.

 

[piezoe]

Quote from Lucrum:

Then why ask?Why would it matter if the results are accurate?
LOL Ah that's a good one.

As a reader you have no easy way to judge the accuracy of the data in a report such as this, and likewise, we have to rely on the integrity of the authors. You and I would naturally be, or at least should be, suspicious of any thing put out by not disinterested parties.

I have scanned the entire article by now and didn't catch anything that would obviously raise a red flag. I'm going to read it in more detail later. I haven't time at the moment. What I have read is very interesting, to me anyway.

 

[Lucrum]

Quote from piezoe:

As a reader you have no easy way to judge the accuracy of the data in a report such as this, and likewise, we have to rely on the integrity of the authors. You and I would naturally be, or at least should be, suspicious of any thing put out by not disinterested parties.

I have scanned the entire article by now and didn't catch anything that would obviously raise a red flag. I'm going to read it in more detail later. I haven't time at the moment. What I have read is very interesting, to me anyway.

Nice to see a pro gun control guy willing to educating himself of the facts.


You might like this graph.