Conclusions
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68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84
85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101
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In general, we find that the scientific bases for understanding the impact
of different technologies on the rates of injury is sorely lacking. The
existing research outlines a number of interesting hypotheses, but, in the
end, the extent to which different technologies affect injury remains unknown.
We should note that this conclusion stands in contrast to a recently
released report from the Institute of Medicine (2002). In particular, the
report, Reducing Suicide: A National Imperative, recommends safety devices
as an effective means of reducing injury associated with firearms.
While this recommendation may (or may not) be justified for many reasons,
we found no credible scientific evidence in the Institute of Medicine’s report
or elsewhere that demonstrates whether safety devices can effectively lower
injury. Rather, the lack of research on this potentially important intervention
is a major shortcoming in the body of knowledge on firearms. Without
a much stronger research base, the benefits and harms of technology remain
largely unknown.
Thus, the committee recommends that a sustained body of empirical
research be developed to study the effects of different safety technologies on
violence and crime. There are many obstacles to answering the key empirical
questions, not the least of which is the lack of detailed individual-level
data on firearms ownership, the use of safety devices and firearms, and the
outcomes of interest that, in the case of accidents, are especially rare. Without
better individual-level data, researchers will continue to be forced to
rely on aggregated data that are subject to many different interpretations
and strong assumptions that are rarely justified. Researchers may exploit
the fact that many of these technologies have been used for over a century
and, more recently, have been widely disseminated. Well-designed experimental
evaluations that subsidize technologies in different locales may be
an alternative approach to reveal the demand for these technologies as well
as their effects on crime and violence.