AN EXAMINATION OF THE AMERICAN WEST FROM 1863 TO 1890 SUGGESTS THAT BOTH ROBBERY AND OUTLAWRY DURING THE LATER FRONTIER PERIOD WERE STIMULATED BY SEPARATE BUT RELATED SOCIAL PHENOMENA: GROUP CONFLICTS OF ECONOMIC ORIGIN AND POST-CIVIL WAR PROBLEMS OF ADJUSTMENT. A PAPER ON GUN CONTROL AND FEDERAL LEGISLATION ESTABLISHES A STRONG RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VIOLENCE AND THE EXISTENCE OF FIREARMS WHILE QUESTIONING THE UTILITY OF THESE WEAPONS IN A FREE SOCIETY. A VARIETY OF SOCIAL AND SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF GUN OWNERSHIP ARE EXPLORED IN A NATIONAL SURVEY OF URBAN GUN OWNERS. NATIONAL SURVEY DATA ARE ALSO USED IN A STUDY OF THE MANNER IN WHICH THE AVAILABILITY OF WEAPONS AFFECTS BOTH THE FREQUENCY OF ROBBERIES AND THE STRATEGIES AND TACTICS EMPLOYED BY ROBBERS. A COMMON THEME IN THESE FOUR ESSAYS IS THAT OF METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS IN STUDYING VIOLENCE AND THE EMPIRICAL, THEORETICAL, AND POLICY-RELATED DILEMMAS THAT ENSUE FROM THESE PROBLEMS. THE THEME OF METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS IS TAKEN UP EXPLICITLY IN PAPERS ON PROBLEMS IN MEASURING THE FREQUENCY AND DISTRIBUTION OF RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT, AND ON THE VALIDITY OF PORTRAYING THE CONTEMPORARY SOUTH AS A 'REGIONAL CULTURE OF VIOLENCE.' POSSIBLE MODIFICATIONS TO THE GENERAL SUBCULTURE OF VIOLENCE THESIS ARE ALSO EXPLORED IN A STUDY OF HOMICIDE AND SUICIDE IN NORTH CAROLINA. A SURVEY OF DELINQUENCY AND VIOLENCE IN THE SCHOOLS AND THE COMMUNITY SUGGESTS THAT WHILE THE GENERAL PUBLIC TENDS TO BELIEVE THAT VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS IS INCREASING, THIS MAY NOT BE THE CASE. THE RELATIONSHIP OF VIOLENCE AND SURVIVAL IN PRISON IS EXAMINED IN A STUDY OF THE INMATE CAREER OF GEORGE JACKSON, WHOSE STRATEGIES ARE CONCLUDED NOT TO OFFER THE MILITANT OR REVOLUTIONARY INMATE A FORMULA FOR SURVIVING INCARCERATION. THE FINAL ESSAY EXPLORES THE SOCIAL CONTROL OF SPORTS VIOLENCE IN GENERAL AND HOCKEY VIOLENCE IN PARTICULAR. SEE NCJ-52629-52634 FOR SEPARATE ABSTRACTS OF THE ARTICLES ON GUN CONTROL, WEAPONS AND ROBBERY, MEASURING RAPE, HOMICIDE AND SUICIDE IN NORTH CAROLINA, SCHOOL VIOLENCE, AND INMATE SURVIVAL. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--LKM)