Is RKBA (Right to keep and bear arms) a Progressive value?

[theinquisitivechad]

201. I fear we're going to go around and around on this one.

I'm not meaning to paint Kleck as a shill for the NRA - rather, that the NRA continues to use research that others (such as David Hemenway) have found faulty. "All attempts at external validation of the 2.5 million figure show that it is an enormous overestimate. . .The estimate of 2.5 million self-defense gun uses per year leads to many other absurd conclusions. For example, the number of respondents who claim to have used a gun against rape and robbery attempts suggests that victims of these attempted crimes are more likely to use a gun against the offender than the attackers are to use a gun against the victim--even though the criminal chooses the time and place for the attack, most citizens do not own guns, and very few carry guns." - from "Study of Survey Overestimates of Rare Events"

I'm not sure why you cite the Wolfgang quote. I think it is more stating his surprise at an anomalous set of results than an apostasy. He also said this about the study: ”The usual criticisms of survey research, such as that done by Kleck and Gertz, also apply to their research. The problems of small numbers and extrapolating from relatively small samples to the universe are common criticisms of all survey research, including theirs. I did not mention this specifically in my printed comments because I thought that this was obvious; within the specific limitations of their research is what I meant by a lack of criticism methodologically.”
(J of Criminal Law and Criminology 86:2 p617-8)

Kleck's work has more holes than Swiss Cheese, yet it has been peer-reviewed. Peer-reviewed work is more likely to be sound work. Peer review is necessary but not sufficient for sound methodology.

But I appreciate your contribution to the discussion and will check out your sources at some point.