Citation

Marciniak LM, Loftin C. Criminology 1991; 29(3): 531-540.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1991, American Society of Criminology)

DOI

10.1111/j.1745-9125.1991.tb01078.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Hill et al. (1985) have suggested a measure of protective handgun ownership that can be implemented in an omnibus survey like the General Social Survey (GSS), which does not ask respondents why they own the gun. Using the 1980 GSS and their refined measure, Hill et al. report (among other things) that fear of crime and prior victimization increase the likelihood that men, but not women, will own handguns for protection. Their analysis, however, is Jawed because (1) they made errors in their analysis and (2) their measure of protective handgun ownership is biased. This paper explains why the measure is biased and shows how the measure alters parameter estimates.

Language: en