Franklin Zimring Finds Weapon, Not Intent, Leads to Homicide

The Washington Post, June 13, 2010 by Philip J. Cook and Jens Ludwig
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/11/AR2010061103259.html

But in a groundbreaking and often-replicated look at the details of criminal attacks in Chicago in the 1960s, University of California at Berkeley law professor Franklin Zimring found that the circumstances of gun and knife assaults are quite similar: They’re typically unplanned and with no clear intention to kill. Offenders use whatever weapon is at hand, and having a gun available makes it more likely that the victim will die.