May 10, 2018

Do firearm-control laws make you safer?

A medical journal gives the answer "yes" to that.

One of the besetting problems with science is that academics often don't keep up with previous research on their subject. Example here.  They seem to think that no-one before them could have had such brilliant ideas as theirs.  So they do not check that.  A case in point has just emerged.  It is an article in a prestigious American medical journal under the title: "Interstate Association of State Firearm Laws With Suicide and Homicide", authored by a Robert Steinbrook, MD.

Dr Steinbrook probably knows a lot about colds and flu but he appears to know very little about scientific research.  In particular he seems to know nothing about bibliographical  research.  His article mirrors closely  a 2016 article under the heading: "Firearm legislation and firearm mortality in the USA: a cross-sectional, state-level study" -- by Kalesan et al -- also published in a prestigious medical jourtnal. 

Because of his failure to do comprehensive background research, he has fallen into the trap that background research is designed to prevent:  He has learnt nothing from the mistakes in the previous study.  He has repeated its mistakes.  And the mistakes are grievous -- as I pointed out in 2016. A failure of basic scientific precautions has rendered both studies a nullity.  They prove nothing. They are at best propaganda.

It rather bemuses me that a humble retired psychologist such as I has to point out basic howlers in prestigious medical journals.




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