July 25, 1994



Letters to the Editor
Journal of the American Medical Association
515 North State Street
Chicago, Ill.  60610

        In their study on firearms and cocaine involvement in New 
York City homicides,1 Tardiff et al. found homicide rates, and 
firearms involvement, significantly higher among black, Latino, 
and Asian Americans, and especially among those adolescent and 
younger adult age groups.  

        However, while attempting to compare cocaine use among 
homicide victims to society at large, they recognized the need to 
use survey research on cocaine use among non-homicide victims, 
they felt no such need for comparisons involving firearms.  Had 
they checked, they would have found that firearm ownership levels 
are highest among whites, and generally lower among blacks, 
Hispanics, and Asian Americans2,3; and that firearm ownership 
levels rise with age and non-metropolitan residency,2 the 
opposite of the homicidal misuse in their and other studies 
published in the Journal.1,4

        Furthermore, Tardiff et al. refer to "the increased 
availability and lethality of firearms" as a factor in increasing 
homicide rates among inner-city minorities.  There is no basis 
for that statement.  No data they cited gave any trends in gun 
use; their study ignored the types of firearms involved.  Survey 
research on firearms ownership rates shows stability since the 
mid-1970s.2  

        There is similarly no evidence of a trend toward more lethal 
firearms.  The apparent trend toward 9mm. semi-automatic pistols 
at the expense of .38 and .357-magnum revolvers and .45 semi-
autos has no impact on lethality.  Lethality is determined more 
by the size, shape, velocity, and weight of the bullet, and the 
location of the wound, than by the caliber or action-type of the 
firearm, particularly for handguns so similar in caliber as the 
.357 and 9mm; overall, the stopping power of the .357 and .45 
exceeds that of the 9mm., with wide variations dependent upon the 
ammunition.5

        Unaddressed questions raised by the study include why the 
homicide rates among inner-city young blacks, and to a slightly 
lesser extent Hispanics, are so incredibly high, and why infant 
homicide -- which rarely involves cocaine use by victims, or 
firearms -- among blacks exceed 50 per 100 000, eight times the 
national infant homicide rate.

        In calling for national restrictive gun laws, the authors at 
least recognized that New York City has highly restrictive laws 
already, and that bringing the guns back into the city is 
illegal, although they do not note that the illegality involves 
serious federal felonies.  They fail, however, to indicate why 
the ineffectiveness of strict national cocaine legislation does 
not suggest similar ineffectiveness for gun legislation.


        Paul H. Blackman, PhD
        Research Coordinator
        703-267-1226

Word count:  400

        REFERENCES
1.  Tardiff K, Marzuk PM, Leon AC, Hirsch CS, Stajic M, et al.  
        Homicide in New York City:  cocaine use and firearms.  JAMA 
        1994;272:43-46.
2.  Kleck G.  Point blank:  guns and violence in America.  New 
        York:  Aldine de Gruyter, 1991.
3.  Decision/Making/Information.  A statewide survey of California 
        voters for the National Rifle Association.  Santa Ana, Calif: 
        March 1982.
4.  Fingerhut LA, Ingram DD, Feldman JJ.  Firearm and nonfirearm 
        homicide among persons 15 through 19 years of age:  
        differences by level of urbanization, United States, 1979 
        through 1989.  JAMA 1992;267:3048-3053.
5.  Marshall EP, Sanow EJ.  Handgun stopping power.  Boulder, Colo: 
        Paladin Press, 1992.