John Lott - Good answers to gun-control questions

[A-R]

Just read the whole thing. Good stuff.

[baldeagle]

I think this paragraph is extremely important.

Camp Hill, Pa.: How many mass shootings have been stopped by legally armed private citizens?

John R. Lott: The number is large, but we only really know about the events through media coverage and the media rarely reports these events when they occur. Often when an attack is stopped only about one percent or so of the news stories will mention it. In other cases where permit holders stop an attack before anyone is harmed the attack simply isn't considered as newsworthy. This latter type of case occurred just last month in Memphis, Tennessee. Another recent case took place at a mall in Utah (a gun free zone) where an off-duty police officer stopped the attack).

As far as school shootings go, the ones that were stopped before police were able to arrive include Pearl, Miss., and Edinboro, Pa. Another attack at a Virginia university that was stopped occurred in 2002 at the Appalachian Law School.

This is a complete indictment of the media. If they were reporting these events, public opinion would be demonstrably different. The mere fact that people ask these questions indicates the paucity of coverage of such events.

[Purplehood]

It never happened if we haven't read about it.

Power to the Press!

[Excaliber]

I think this paragraph is extremely important.

Camp Hill, Pa.: How many mass shootings have been stopped by legally armed private citizens?

John R. Lott: The number is large, but we only really know about the events through media coverage and the media rarely reports these events when they occur. Often when an attack is stopped only about one percent or so of the news stories will mention it. In other cases where permit holders stop an attack before anyone is harmed the attack simply isn't considered as newsworthy. This latter type of case occurred just last month in Memphis, Tennessee. Another recent case took place at a mall in Utah (a gun free zone) where an off-duty police officer stopped the attack).

As far as school shootings go, the ones that were stopped before police were able to arrive include Pearl, Miss., and Edinboro, Pa. Another attack at a Virginia university that was stopped occurred in 2002 at the Appalachian Law School.

This is a complete indictment of the media. If they were reporting these events, public opinion would be demonstrably different. The mere fact that people ask these questions indicates the paucity of coverage of such events.

Don't forget the spectacularly successful incident at the New Life Church in Colorado, where CCW licensee and church security volunteer Jean Assam stopped a rifle armed active shooter carrying 1000 rounds of ammunition and a pistol with well aimed fire from about 15 yards with her handgun.

[TXlaw1]

Don't forget the spectacularly successful incident at the New Life Church in Colorado, where CCW licensee and church security volunteer Jean Assam stopped a rifle armed active shooter carrying 1000 rounds of ammunition and a pistol with well aimed fire from about 15 yards with her handgun.

She was one heroic lady doing what she had to do to protect a bunch of folk from execution. Thank God he put her there for that purpose at that moment! She followed the instructions of her Lord. See below.

[thankGod]

I just read the entire link. He's well spoken.

Has anyone read any of his books? Are they dry and statistical, or do they offer an apologist view against gun control?

[Excaliber]

I just read the entire link. He's well spoken.

Has anyone read any of his books? Are they dry and statistical, or do they offer an apologist view against gun control?

His books aren't action thrillers, but they are very well documented and very readable if you like straightforward explanations of what lots of arcane data means.

The information is extremely useful when conversing with folks who have been fed reams of the Brady propaganda.

[Purplehood]

You have to remember that he is an Economist by vocation. They are a strange lot IMHO.

[Texas Size 11]

That is a great article...sadly it will fall on deaf ears for anti-gunners because of the emotion involved. Data and facts just go out the window.

On the other hand, I think it helps the average person who is kind of in the middle further understand the debate. Hopefully many of them will look at it with an open mind and draw some logical conclusions.

Edited for the post above: economists are indeed odd characters, but everything revolves around data in their world. Emotion is practically non-existenet. I like reading work by them because it is factual and typically without bias.

[GrayGhost]

AndyC, thanks for linking the transcript. I read it to my wife tonight instead of listening to the State of the Union address.

[RPB]

AndyC, thanks for linking the transcript. I read it to my wife tonight instead of listening to the State of the Union address.

I read it earlier today, and watched the Speech while I charged my new magazines I got last week , I multi-tasked.