Got my notice from the Million Mom March (Lord they are stupid) and they used this quote as a reason to fight the NRA.  I personally think it makes sense, but it would seem to get everyone's panties in a bunch.:

If you need one more reason to help, just read this quote by NRA Research Coordinator Paul Blackman: "Studies of homicide victims, especially the increasing number of younger ones, suggest they are frequently criminals themselves and/or drug addicts or users. It is quite possible that their deaths, in terms of economic consequences to society, are net gains."

First off, the "Brady Campaign to Do Whatever We Claim This Week" took over the Million Mom March to prevent its embarassing bankruptcy (and potential tax fraud charges).

The Brady Campaign's reputation for veracity is, shall we say, less than exemplary (i.e., they lie and distort, a lot).  Unfortunately, Mr. Blackman is a shoot-from-the-hip academic type:  very bright, but not very politically astute.  He could have said this, or something like it.

On the other hand, the Brady Campaign is on the ropes, and some of their fundraising efforts have been egregiously untruthful.  For example, almost 10 years ago, a letter from Sarah to the faithful claimed that Eddie the Eagle programs used real guns with live ammo to train children.  Another?  About 6 years ago, the FEC fined [then] HCI for claiming that they had 'Over One Million Members.'  It turns out that HCI counted every single contact from the public as a "member."  (NOTE:  HCI/Brady Campaign has no members; it is what is called a "self-perpetuating board of directors.")

Considering the source, I'd say it's less than 50-50 that he actually said that; but, he might have said something like it.

Amicus

Setting aside the fact that Blackman makes a perfectly valid point, does MMM include a source for the alleged quote?

At this point, MMM is so desperate that they've got nothing to lose by fabricating quotes to support their arguments. After all, there isn't much point in suing an organization for slander if said organization will be defunct 12 months from now anyway...