THE STUDY WAS LIMITED TO THE USE OF WEAPONS THAT CAN BE HELD IN THE USER'S HAND, I.E., HANDGUNS, LONG GUNS, KNIVES, STICKS, CLUBS, PIPES, AND OTHER OBJECTS USED TO STAB, HIT, OR CHOKE. EACH TIME SUCH A WEAPON APPEARED, THE FOLLOWING WERE NOTED: TYPE OF WEAPON; MANNER OF WEAPON APPEARANCE (SHOWN, USED TO THREATEN, OR ACTUALLY USED); REASON FOR WEAPON APPEARANCE (ROBBERY, TO MAKE OR RESIST AN ARREST, PREMEDITATED MURDER, ETC.); CHARACTER TYPES OF THE WEAPON USER AND TARGET; AND RESULT OF THE WEAPON'S APPEARANCE OR USE (INJURY TO OR RESISTANCE BY TARGET, MISSES, ETC.). THIS INFORMATION WAS THEN ANALYZED BY COMPUTER. AMONG THE MAJOR FINDINGS ARE THE FOLLOWING: (1) IN THE 73 HOURS OF PRIME-TIME TELEVISION VIEWED, WEAPONS APPEARED 648 TIMES, AN AVERAGE OF ALMOST 9 PER HOUR. OF THESE, 432, OR 68 PERCENT, INVOLVED ACTUAL CONFRONTATIONS BETWEEN THE USER OF THE WEAPON AND ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL. (2) HANDGUNS WERE INVOLVED IN 468 OF THE TOTAL 648 APPEARANCES, OR 72 PERCENT, AND IN 340 OF THE CONFRONTATIONS, OR 79 PERCENT. (3) WHITES AND MALES WERE THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF BOTH USERS AND TARGETS OF WEAPONS. (4) WEAPON USERS IN CONFRONTATIONS WERE ABOUT EVENLY DIVIDED BETWEEN POLICE OFFICERS (INCLUDES ALSO PRIVATE DETECTIVES, SECURITY GUARDS, AND OTHERS WHO, BY PROFESSION, ARE AUTHORIZED TO CARRY WEAPONS) AND BAD GUYS/CRIMINALS. (5) ONLY 36 ON-SCREEN DEATHS WERE INFLICTED, AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 1 DEATH FOR EVERY 2 HOURS OF VIEWING. (6) OF 265 SHOTS FIRED BY HANDGUNS, 84 PERCENT WERE MISSES; ONLY 8 PERCENT RESULTED IN INJURY, AND 7.5 PERCENT IN DEATH. IT WAS ALSO NOTED THAT, CONTRARY TO POPULAR CRITICISM, THE INCIDENCE OF BLOOD OR OTHER SIGNS OF SUFFERING IS NEGLIGIBLE. THIS FACT, COMBINED WITH THE LARGE PROPORTION OF 'MISSES' WHEN SHOTS ARE FIRED, ATTACHES AN UNREALISTIC AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS LACK OF SEVERITY TO THE CONSEQUENCES OF WEAPON USE. THE RESEARCHERS RECOMMEND FURTHER STUDY ON THE NATURE AND EFFECTS OF TELEVISION VIOLENCE. SUPPORTING STATISTICS ARE PRESENTED IN TABULAR FORM. APPENDIXES INCLUDE THE FORM USED FOR RECORDING DATA ON WEAPON APPEARANCE, A TABLE OF WEAPON USES RECORDED BUT EXCLUDED FROM ANALYSIS, A LIST OF CRIMINAL TYPES SEEN ON TELEVISION, A METHODOLOGY SUPPLEMENT, AND A TABULATION OF WEAPON APPEARANCES, INJURIES, AND DEATHS BY PROGRAM EPISODE. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED).