Differential indicators of defensive weapon ownership: a comparison by genderPublications received

While the majority of studies examining defensive weapon ownership identify variables related to ownership, these studies suffer from several methodological problems. Inclusion of sporting influences into a measure of defensive weapon ownership and errors in attribution of demographic variables weaken the results in many of these studies. In order to overcome these obstacles, only those respondents claiming to live alone were included in this analysis, and respondents were asked specifically if they had purchased a weapon for self-protection. Separate probit equations were estimated for males and females to assess differential indicators for men and women. Results indicate that although having a prior victimization was a significant positive indicator of self-help for men, women did not display similar relationships. Variables dealing with neighborhood characteristics, such as the percent of single parent households with children aged twelve through twenty and perceptions that crime is increasing in the neighborhood, were significant predictors of defensive weapon ownership for women.