Defensive Gun Uses: New Evidence from a National Survey

The number of civilian defensive gun uses (DGUs) against criminal attackers is regularly invoked in public policy debates as a benefit of widespread private ownership of firearms. Yet there is considerable uncertainty for the prevalence of civilian DGUs, with estimates ranging from 108,000 (using the National Crime Victimization Survey) to 2.5 million (using smaller telephone surveys) per year. In this paper we analyze the results of a new national random-digit-dial telephone survey to estimate the prevalence of DGU and then discuss the plausibility of the results in light of other well-known facts and possible sources of bias in survey data for sensitive behaviors. Because DGU is a relatively rare event by any measure, a small proportion of respondents who falsely report a gun use can produce substantial overestimates of the prevalence of DGU, even if every true defensive gun user conceals his or her use. We find that estimates from this new survey are apparently subject to a large positive bias, which calls into question the accuracy of DGU estimates based on data from general-population surveys. Our analysis also suggests that available survey data are not able to determine whether reported DGU incidents, even if true, add to or detract from public health and safety.     

The Gender Gap among Teen Survey Respondents: Why are Boys more Likely to Report a Gun in the Home than Girls?

It is a reliable though unexplained feature of national surveys that include items on gun ownership that wives are less likely to report a gun in the home than husbands. In this article we extend the inquiry regarding this gender gap in reporting of household guns to include adolescent children (age 12–17 years). The California Health Interview Survey of 2001, the largest-ever state survey of its kind, includes over 4000 marital households in which both a parent and adolescent child were interviewed and asked whether there was a gun in the home. There is little “age gap” in reporting—California teens are almost as likely to say that there is a gun as are their parents—but there is a gender gap among both the teens and their parents. We also find a large gap in personal experience with guns—boys are three times as likely to report hunting or shooting with a family member than girls. This difference in experience fully accounts for the gender gap in reporting. The relevance of these findings for the interpretation of survey data is clear. Whether there is a gun reported in a home depends to a remarkable extent on which member of the household is asked the question. Hence, the method of selection of respondent(s) from within a household will affect estimates of the patterns and prevalence of gun ownership, and, potentially, the accuracy of case–control studies that use self-report information about guns in the home.

社会中介组织：盘活“两个失灵”的路径选择

在我国建立社会主义市场经济体制和实现政府职能转变的过程中,出现了一系列的问题,其中"市场失灵"和"政府失灵"客观上说明市场与政府之间存在"断裂层",要沟通这个"断裂层"就必须发展社会中介组织.社会中介组织的发展将在政府与市场之间建立起一座桥梁,从而盘活"两个失灵",达到"两个有序",促进政府职能转变的完成和市场经济的和谐发展.     

论我国中小企业发展中的问题及其对策

在国家政策的积极扶持下,我国的中小企业发展迅速,并且在国民经济中发挥着极其重要的作用。然而与发达国家相比,我国中小企业还不够成熟,在管理、资金、产品开发等许多方面还存在问题。随着我国加入世界贸易组织,我国的市场将进一步对外开放,中小企业的发展面临着严峻的形势,这些问题将更为突出。解决这些问题应当从企业内部和外部环境两个方面入手,从内部应加强企业管理和技术创新、选择适当的竞争战略;从外部环境来说,国家应当制定相应的政策法规,积极扶持和促进中小企业的发展。     

浙江省高校英语专业开课计划调查与反思

本文从省内各高校之间存在的缺乏有效沟通，重复建设、重复工作等问题出发，分析了全省各高校英语专业本科的教学计划和培养方案，对各校英语专业开课现状进行了分析并提出了几点反思。     

长江水域治安防控问题调查研究

当前长江水域治安形势严峻,水上从业人员流动性大,侵财案件多,群体性事件突出,治安灾害事故频发。长江水域治安管理工作存在的主要问题是:涉水管理部门工作缺乏协调,水上巡逻防控力量不足,治安情报信息不畅通等。构建完善的长江水域治安防控体系,必须整合行政资源,形成长江水域治安防控合力;建立水上巡逻防控网络,增强预防控制犯罪的能力;建立新型的群防群治网络,增强社会防控能力。     

Medium‐Chain Acyl‐CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency in Adulthood: A Potential Diagnosis in a Patient with Mental Status Changes Suspected of Drug Toxicity

Medium‐chain acyl‐CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) deficiency is a rare but important component of the differential diagnosis for adults with a history of premortem mental status changes and the postmortem finding of hepatic steatosis. This case report describes a 30‐year‐old white man who, following a period of nausea and vomiting, was admitted to the hospital with sudden mental status deterioration followed rapidly by clinical deterioration and death. Treating physicians in this case suspected acute illicit drug toxicity with synthetic cathinones based on social history. Clinicians and medical examiners should be aware that the presentation, signs, and symptoms described may indicate an underlying inborn error of metabolism such as MCAD deficiency and take action accordingly.     

Postrecession Drivers of Preferences for Homeownership

The analysis presented in this article finds little evidence to suggest that individuals' preferences for owning versus renting a home have been affected by their exposure to recent house price declines and loan delinquency rates, or by knowing others in their neighborhood who have defaulted on their mortgages. Instead, this analysis finds individual characteristics, particularly current housing tenure, to be the strongest predictors of postrecession demand for homeownership.     

略论未成年人犯罪案件诉讼程序

新《刑事诉讼法》增设“未成年人刑事案件诉讼程序”专章,对我国未成年人刑事司法制度改革具有重大的里程碑意义,彰显了国家对未成年人犯罪问题的重视以及对未成年犯罪人进行教育、感化、挽救和改造的方针。然而在立法理念尚须进一步推敲与配套制度缺失等诸多司法环境限制因素的影响下,新刑诉中与未成年人刑事案件诉讼程序的相关规定仍有未尽之处。未成年人刑事案件诉讼程序立法原则为“教育为主、惩罚为辅”,立法体例相对集中,具有“社会调查”、“附条件不起诉”以及“犯罪记录封存”三大创新性制度。     

心理学视角下未成年犯审前社会调查制度

未成年犯刑事案件审前社会调查制度具有较强的刑事司法依据,同样,作为犯罪的特殊群体,未成年人也是心理学的重点研究对象,具有显著的心理特殊性。文章从心理学的视角分析了实施该制度的依据,在概括了我国当前实施该制度总体状况及存在问题的基础上,提出了完善该制度的可操作性建议。