firearms and violence a critical review

[...]... by regulatory and law enforcement agencies, including the trace data maintained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; registration data maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and state agencies; and manufacturing and sales data for research purposes In addition, researchers need appropriate access to the panel data from the Monitoring the Future survey These data may or may not... impact 2 Data for Measuring Firearms Violence and Ownership S cientists in the social and behavioral sciences deal with many datarelated obstacles in conducting empirical research These include lack of relevant data, data that are error-ridden, and data that are not based on properly designed statistical samples (i.e., are unrepresentative) of the targeted population These obstacles are particularly... judged acceptable Throughout this report we hold all the research we reviewed to these reasonable standards Especially in areas of research in which there is much public controversy, it is vital that such standards be maintained 18 FIREARMS AND VIOLENCE Using the conventional standards of science, we have reviewed the data and research on firearms and have suggested ways by which these data and studies... empirical and research base for decisions about firearms and violence, the federal government needs to support a systematic program of data collection and research that specifically addresses that issue Adverse outcomes associated with firearms, although large in absolute numbers, are statistically rare events and therefore are not observed with great frequency, if at all, in many ongoing national probability... on firearms, the need was clear for an unbiased assessment of the existing portfolio of data and research Accordingly, the National Academies were asked by a consortium of both federal agencies—the National Institute of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and private foundations—the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Annie E Casey Foundation, and the Joyce Foundation—to assess... material on the key data Data on Violence and Crime It is axiomatic that reliable and valid surveys on violence, offending, and victimization are critical to an understanding of violence and crime in the 1See, for example, Annest and Mercey (1998); Biderman and Lynch (1991); Maltz (1999); MacKenzie et al (1990); Jarvis (1992); Wiersema et al (2000); and Riedel (1999) The National Opinion Research Center (NORC)... factors that influence lethal behavior, the extent and value of defensive firearm use, the operation of legal and illegal firearms markets, and the effectiveness of efforts to reduce the harms or increase the benefits of firearm use We have evaluated these data and studies In doing so, we have: 14 FIREARMS AND VIOLENCE • • • Assessed current data bases so as to make clear their strengths and limitations... especially among youth; however, there is a lack of empirical research to address these two issues The task of the committee was not to settle all arguments about the causes and cures of violence but rather to evaluate the data and research on firearms injury and violence Over the past few decades, there have been many studies of the relationship between access to firearms and firearm violence, family and. .. to paint an overly pessimistic picture of this research area The existing body of research, as described in the other chapters of the report, has shed light on some of the most fundamental 19 20 FIREARMS AND VIOLENCE questions related to firearms and violence However, in key data areas—the availability of firearms, the use of firearms, and the role of firearms in injuries and death critical information... control strategies for reducing gun-related crime, suicide, and accidental fatalities; and utilizing existing data and research on firearms and firearm violence to develop models of illegal firearms markets The charge also called for examining the complex ways in which firearm violence may become embedded in community life and whether firearmrelated homicide and suicide become accepted as ways of resolving . Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; registration data maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and state agencies; and manufacturing and sales data for research purposes. In addition, researchers. of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data National Research Council (U.S.). Committee to Improve Research Information and Data on Firearms. Firearms and violence : a critical review / Committee. policy makers are to have a solid empirical and research base for deci- sions about firearms and violence, the federal government needs to support a systematic program of data collection and research