D. Mcdowall et B. Wiersema, THE INCIDENCE OF DEFENSIVE FIREARM USE BY US CRIME VICTIMS, 1987 THROUGH 1990, American journal of public health, 84(12), 1994, pp. 1982-1984
It is well known that many crimes in the United States are committed w
ith firearms. Less adequately documented is the frequency with which v
ictims use guns in self-defense. We used National Crime Victimization
Survey data to examine incidents where victims employed guns against o
ffenders. Between 1987 and 1990 there were an estimated 258 450 incide
nts of firearm defense, an annual mean of 64 615. Victims used firearm
s in 0.18% of all crimes recorded by the survey and in 0.83% of violen
t offenses. Firearm self-defense is rare compared with gun crimes.