And he further insists that anyone who would rob him MUST be threatening his life,and therefore justifies him shooting that person as a threat. Many times here we have read similar comments from other readers, on the topic of rape and assault.
This Bureau of Justice Statistical study contradicts those claims about the threat of armed violent crime.
Therefore it is worth noting that in point of fact, no weapon is used in committing crimes more often than a weapon is used, and specifically far more often than a firearm is used to commit a crime.
Our gun loonz hate to be confronted and confused by the facts, because they counter their arguments for why they need so many guns, and need them everywhere, all the time.
I would argue to our readers that these numbers suggest that they would be equally safe, in terms of their statistically measured risk, defending themselves with something like a taser which is not lethal force, and that they themselves would also be safer carrying and using less lethal force.
Summary Findings
The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) measures the nonfatal violent crimes of rape/sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated and simple assault. Victims who experience violent crimes are asked if the offender(s) used weapons.
In 2009 —
- An offender was armed with a gun, knife, or other object used as a weapon in an estimated 22% of all incidents of violent crime.
- Offenders used firearms to commit 8% of violent crime incidents in 2009.
- Robberies (47%) were the most likely crime to involve an armed offender.
- Firearms (28%) were the most common weapons used in robberies.
- Most rapes and assaults did not involve the use of a weapon.
- From 1993-1997, of serious nonfatal violent victimizations, 28% were committed with a firearm, 4% were committed with a firearm and resulted in injury, and less than 1% resulted in gunshot wounds.
Presence of
offender's weapon Violent crime Rape/
sexual assault Robbery Simple/
aggravated assault
Total 100 % 100 % 100 % 100 %
No weapon 73 % 85 % 48 % 76 %
Weapon 22 % 10 %* 47 % 19 %
Firearm 8 -- * 28 5
Knife 6 8 * 9 5
Other 7 2 * 8 7
Type not ascertained 2 -- * 2 * 1
Don't know 6 % 5 %* 6 %* 6 %
Note: Percentage may not total to 100% because of rounding. If the offender was armed with more than one weapon, the crime is classified based on the most serious weapon present.
*Based up 10 or fewer sample cases.
--Less than 0.5%.
