Think a Gun Protects You in a Fight? Think Again
OCTOBER 2, 2009
Lead author Charles C. Branas, PhD, Associate Professor of Epidemiology, is quoted in a Daily News article
about a study conducted at Penn that found, on average, guns did not
protect those who possessed them from being shot in an assault. People
with a gun were estimated to 4.5 times more likely to be shot in an
assault than those not possessing a gun. "I don't think this study is
the end," Branas said. "I think it should help begin to raise awareness
about gun possession and begin to question whether an individual is
absolutely safe in possession of a firearm or whether it's promoting a
false sense of security." An article also appears on the UPI.com news
service site. Tom Ten Have, PhD, MPH, Professor of Biostatistics, and Doug Wiebe, PhD, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, are also co-authors on the study.
