Citation

Kellermann AL. Homicide Stud. 2001; 5(3): 276-278.

Affiliation

Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article is response to a paper by Gary Kleck which attacked the study done by Kellermann on gun ownership as a risk factor for homicide in the home. Kellermann states that Kleck's critique is flawed. Kleck's most notable oversight is the assumption that the only way keeping a gun in the home might increase a family's risk of homicide is if it is used as the murder weapon. Kellermann asserts that his study had identified at least 21 incidents (5% of the study's total) in which the victim died while unsuccessfully attempting to use a gun in self-defense. Kellermann also states that he never considered the possibility that keeping a gun in a bedside drawer influences an individual's risk of homicide in any setting other than the home. Kellermann suggests that, instead of relying on Professor Kleck's secondhand description of his team's work, the curious reader should examine the original report [New Engl J Med 1993; 329(15): 1084-91.].