NCJ Number
93253
Date Published
1981
Length
23 pages
Annotation
In response to questions raised by the Judiciary II Subcommittee on Handguns of the Illinois General Assembly.
Abstract
This report of the Statistical Analysis Center attempts to determine what data are available on handgun use in Illinois. The information necessary to answer many of the questions, such as data on stolen handguns, firearm accidental deaths, and the outcome of victims' use of handguns to resist violent crime, are often unavailable or difficult to obtain. The report discusses the quality of available data and provides examples of the data and suggestions for data interpretation. Report findings indicate that although data on handgun use are sparse, although some data do exist. Stolen handgun data available for every Illinois area except Chicago show that three to four thousand handguns are stolen from residences each year in Illinois outside of Chicago. Accidental firearm death data exist for Cook County, although accidental injury data do not. According to such data, about five such deaths occur each year. The quality of handgun resistance data is uneven, and the results of analysis must be interpreted cautiously. However, the data available suggest that handguns are very seldom used to resist robbery, and almost never used to resist rape; the success of handgun resistance depends to a great extent on the type of weapon involved. Figures, tables and notes accompany the text. (Author summary modified)