How many do guns defend?

The Washington Times ^ | 9-6-05 | Larry Elder

[JZelle]

Joyce Cordoba, 46, stood behind the deli counter while working at a Wal-Mart in Albuquerque, N.M. Suddenly, her ex-husband -- against whom Mrs. Cordoba had a restraining order -- showed up, jumped over the deli counter, and began stabbing her. Due Moore, a 72-year-old Wal-Mart customer, witnessed the violent attack. Mr. Moore, legally permitted to carry a concealed weapon, pulled out his gun and shot and killed the former husband. Mrs. Cordoba survived the brutal attack and is recovering from her wounds. This raises a question. How often do Americans use guns for defensive purposes? In 2003, we know 12,548 people died through nonsuicide gun violence, including homicides, accidents and cases of undetermined intent. University of California-Los Angeles professor emeritus James Q. Wilson, a respected expert on crime, police practices and guns, says: "We know from Census Bureau surveys that something beyond a 100,000 uses of guns for self-defense occur every year. We know from smaller surveys of a commercial nature that the number may be as high 2.5 million or 3 million. We don't know what the right number is, but whatever the right number is, it's not a trivial number."

[stylin19a]

hey Larry...there is a Freeper keeping track of these stats.
Wish I could remember who....

[Protagoras]

Elderado bump.

[King Prout]

ping, and a question for y'all on #2

[xcamel]

The mere thought that someone might be armed, or is an "armed household" tends to keep opportunistic criminals out of ones hair.

[NRA2BFree]

Mr. Moore is with the Albuquerque police department volunteer reserves. Had he not killed her husband, she would be dead now. She had told her coworkers that she was afraid he was going to kill her. Another case where restraining orders are only worth the paper they're printed on.

[GrandEagle]

David Kopel writes: "When a robbery victim does not defend himself, the robber succeeds 88 percent of the time, and the victim is injured 25 percent of the time. When a victim resists with a gun, the robbery success rate falls to 30 percent, and the victim injury rate falls to 17 percent.

Hummmmm.......

[Mr. Mojo]

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[TypeZoNegative]

What are the stats if you are your own weapon, say you do some sort of martial art like Krav Magna, Brazillian Ju Jitsu or Hapkido?

[hiredhand]

Good question! I can say this....we moved in to a rural neighborhood in 1998. Half a mile away to the south is a bad neighborhood. There, you can buy stolen goods, drugs, and mingle with riff-raff if you want.

We started shooting on our little range when we moved in, and in just a couple of months, word (and NOISE) of our presence spread to that neighborhood. The "word" was that it wasn't a good idea to wander around up on our road anymore.

Less than three months after we moved in, petty theft on our road STOPPED. Small groups of men stopped wandering down our road, peering into outbuildings and cranning their necks trying to get a better look at private property.

...and it's STILL that way now...over five years later. NO problems.

[edcoil]

According to the book, More Guns, Less Crime. It is about 2-1 where guns are used to save people.

[Rammer]

As a practitioner of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts (i.e. "Cage Fighting" or "Ultimate Fighting" is what people sometimes call MMA) I would personally rely on Track and Field if the perp is armed and I am not. Even if they "only" have a knife.

Doesn't answer your question though.

[Poker_Man]

No real stats available on that. It is impossible to get accurate info. There are stats on unarmed defense, but that includes everything from high degree black belts to no belts to street fighters to military.

However, the martial arts have been highly oversold. They are great training, but if the bad guy has a weapon, or there are several of them, then the odds get bad for the good guy.

[TypeZoNegative]

What about disarming moves against guns? I know in hapkido, they train you how to disarm a firearm within a point blank range.

[Roccus]

There's a word for people like you....survivor.

[Melas]

I have several black belts and several guns. Martial arts are great, but don't bring your Ju Jitsu to a gun fight, it'll be embarrassing and fatal.

[Yo-Yo]

How many do guns defend?

4 - Me, my wife, and my two children. Next question.

[TypeZoNegative]

Cool, in what martial arts? I have an orangebelt in Tae Kwon do and I'm taking up Akido for groundfighting.