National Firearms Survey, 1999

This survey was undertaken to obtain information on the
characteristics of gun ownership, gun storage and gun carrying
practices, and weapons-related incidents in the United
States--specifically, use of guns and other weapons in self-defense
against other people. Data were collected using national random-digit
dial telephone surveys completed between March 19, 1999 and July 13,
1999. Sampling was suspended after the school shooting in Littleton,
Colorado on April 20, 1999, and resumed after a cool-down period.
Part 1, Survey Data, contains the coded data obtained during the
interviews, and Part 2, Open-Ended Verbatim Responses, consists of
open-ended answers provided by the respondents. Four qualifying
questions were asked, dealing with: (1) gun ownership, (2) gun display
against the respondent, (3) gun use in self-defense against another
person, and (4) the use of a weapon other than a gun in self-defense
against another person. A "yes" response to a qualifying question led
to a series of additional questions on the same topic as the
qualifying question. Information was collected from all respondents on
the perceived safety of their neighborhood, whether they would feel
safer if more people owned guns, whether guns should be allowed in
public places, whether gun injuries were a problem in their community,
whether they would favor or oppose a program to reduce gun injuries,
and whether they had ever been shot with a gun. Respondents living in
households that currently contained a gun were asked how many and what
type of guns were present, the main reasons for owning a gun, whether
any of the guns were loaded and unlocked, and whether they had
received formal firearms training. Questions about incidents in which
a gun was displayed in a hostile manner against the respondent
included the number of times it took place, how long ago it had
occurred, whether the respondent was in the military or police force
at the time, the location of the incident, whether the individual
displaying the gun was known to the respondent, whether the respondent
had a gun, and whether the police were contacted. Respondents who had
used a gun or other weapon in self-defense in the last five years were
asked about the number of times it took place, the location of the
incident, whether they were in the military or police force at the
time, the type of weapon used, whether they knew the other person,
whether this individual also had a weapon, whether the police were
contacted and arrests made, and what crime was committed. Additional
questions asked respondents whether they smoked cigarettes, drank
alcohol, whether they had gotten married, had had a fire in their
home, and had been hospitalized for a fracture in the past year, and
whether they had ever had contact with extraterrestrial life.
Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level,
household income, type of residential area (e.g., urban, rural, etc.),
and age and number of children in the household.

本调查旨在收集美国枪支持有、枪支存储与携带行为，以及涉武器事件的相关特征信息，具体涵盖枪支及其他武器用于人身自卫的情形。本次调查的数据采集工作依托1999年3月19日至1999年7月13日期间完成的全国随机数字拨号电话调查开展。1999年4月20日科罗拉多州利特尔顿发生校园枪击案后，抽样工作暂时中止，经一段冷却期后恢复进行。
本数据集分为两个部分：第一部分「调查数据」收录访谈过程中获取的编码后数据；第二部分「开放式逐字回复」则包含受访者提交的开放式回答内容。
调查共设置4道筛选问题，涉及以下四类场景：(1) 个人枪支持有情况；(2) 他人以枪支指向受访者的情形；(3) 使用枪支进行人身自卫的情况；(4) 使用非枪支类武器进行人身自卫的情况。若受访者对某道筛选问题给出肯定答复，则需回答对应主题下的一系列追加问题。
所有受访者均需回答以下通用问题：对所在社区的安全感评价、是否认为更多民众持有枪支可提升自身安全感、是否应允许在公共场所携带枪支、枪支伤害是否为所在社区的突出公共安全问题、是否支持或反对枪支伤害防控项目，以及是否曾被枪支击中。
居住于当前持有枪支的家庭的受访者，需额外回答以下问题：家中枪支的数量与类型、持有枪支的主要动机、是否存在未上锁且装填弹药的枪支，以及是否接受过正规枪械训练。
针对曾遭遇他人以敌对方式展示枪支的受访者，调查设置了以下问题：该类事件的发生次数、距访谈时的时间间隔、受访者当时是否服役于军队或警务部门、事件发生地点、展示枪支者是否为受访者相识、受访者自身是否持有枪支，以及是否曾向警方报警。
过去五年内曾使用枪支或其他武器进行人身自卫的受访者，需回答以下问题：该类事件的发生次数、事件发生地点、受访者当时是否服役于军队或警务部门、所使用武器的类型、是否认识对方、对方是否亦持有武器、是否曾向警方报警及是否有人员被捕，以及当时发生的犯罪类型。
此外，调查还询问了受访者的其他背景信息：是否吸烟、饮酒，是否曾结婚、家中是否发生过火灾、过去一年内是否因骨折住院，以及是否曾接触过外星生命。
本数据集包含的人口统计学变量包括：性别、年龄、种族、受教育程度、家庭年收入、居住区域类型（如城市、乡村等），以及家庭中子女的年龄与数量。