Use of Handguns in Self-Defense

I would like to correct an error made by Luis Tolley (of Handgun Control) in his letter (Nov. 3).

In this letter he falsely claimed that Florida State University professor Gary Kleck’s estimate that “Americans use handguns for self-defense about 645,000 times a year” was based on a single poll of 40 gun owners.

In fact, Kleck’s estimate was derived from three independent national surveys and corroborated by several other polls. Hundred of respondents across the United States were interviewed in each of these surveys. Kleck estimated that guns are used about as often for defensive purposes as for criminal purposes.

Kleck’s estimates are the best available to criminologists at this time. All surveys considered by Kleck were conducted by reputable polling firms using scientific methods. Confidence in the result is particularly high because several independent surveys found approximately the same results.

The method for reaching this estimate is fully explained in Chapter 4 of Kleck’s recent book, “Point Blank.” I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in the gun control debate. This book reports an academic study, but it is relatively easy to read.

GARY A. MAUSER

Professor, Simon Fraser University

Burnaby, British Columbia