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RESEARCH AND PRACTICE: Matthew Miller, Deborah Azrael, and David Hemenway Rates of Household Firearm Ownership and Homicide Across US Regions and States, 1988–1997 Am J Public Health 2002; 92: 1988-1993 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]

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Wyoming Sabotages Study

Paul N Weissler   (15 January 2003)

Wyoming Sabotages Study 15 January 2003
Paul N Weissler, Senior Software Developer None Send letter to journal: Re: Wyoming Sabotages Study PWeissler{at}adelphia.net Paul N Weissler	The inclusion of Wyoming, listed as one of the highest firearm ownership states, in the study raises some questions about the authors’ conclusion that high firearm ownership rates lead to higher homicide rates. In the period of 1988 to 1997, the average murder rate in Wyoming for the age group in the study was 3.85 per 100,000 (1). The rates for the four low ownership states, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Jersey, for that time period were respectively: 3.90, 3.88, 4.14, and 5.41. Note that these homicide rates are all higher than Wyoming's rate. As such, how can it be definitively concluded that higher firearm ownership rates are tied to higher homicide rates when this is clearly not the case with Wyoming? Note also that some of the six top firearm ownership states listed in the study have lower homicide rates than other states, which presumably have lower ownership rates (e.g. West Virginia, 6.42, versus Maryland, 12.77). In addition, some states with presumably higher ownership rates have lower homicide rates than the four lowest ownership states (e.g. Utah, 3.21, versus any of the four). These facts appear to seriously undermine the study's conclusion. (1) Source: CDC Injury Mortality Reports - http://webapp.cdc.gov/cgi- bin/broker.exe