Re: Externalities

Anton Sherwood (dasher@netcom.com)
Mon, 22 Dec 1997 18:26:46 -0800 (PST)


: Michael Lorrey wrote:
: > Keith Elis wrote:
:
[66 lines]
:
: > Given that the annual number of times firearms are used in self defense
: > here in the US is anywhere between 600,000 to 2.4 million, depending who
: > you talk to, this comes out to a rate range of 240 to 1,000 incidents of
: > successful self defense with a firearm per 100,000 population. Comparing
: > this to a murder rate of around 10 per 100,000 population, and a
: > firearms related accident (not necessarily fatal) rate of .06 per
: > 100,000 population, I think it shows pretty clearly that the benefits,
: > not even counting the recreational benefits, far outweigh the potential
: > costs.

Hagbard replies:
: If you want to consider the external benefits of firearm-related
: defenses, then you must also consider the external costs of
: firearm-related offenses. As far as I can tell, firearm production
: has a tenuous causal relationship to both.

Eh? Where did Lorrey invoke *external* benefits?

Anton Sherwood *\\* +1 415 267 0685 *\\* DASher@netcom.com