The Bias Against Guns: Why Almost Everything You'Ve Heard About Gun Control Is Wrong

358 Pages·2003·1.67 MB·English

by  John R. Lott Jr.

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THE BIAS
AGAINST GUNS
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THE BIAS
AGAINST GUNS
W H Y A L M O S T E V E R Y T H I N G
Y O U ’ V E H E A R D A B O U T
G U N C O N T R O L I S W R O N G
J O H N R . L O T T, J R .
Since 1947
REGNERY
PUBLISHING, INC.
An Eagle Publishing Company • Washington,DC
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Copyright © 2003 by John Lott
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or trans-
mitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including pho-
tocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now
known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher,
except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with
a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, broadcast, or web-
site.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lott, John R., Jr.
The bias against guns :why almost everything you’ve heard about gun
control is wrong / John R. Lott, Jr.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-89526-114-4
1. Gun control—United States—Public opinion. 2. Firearms—Law and leg-
islation—United States. 3. Violent crimes—United States. I. Title.
HV7436 .L68 2002
363.3’3’0973—dc21
2002154527
Published in the United States by
Regnery Publishing, Inc.
An Eagle Publishing Company
One Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Visit us at www.regnery.com
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Books are available in quantity for promotional or premium use. Write to
Director of Special Sales, Regnery Publishing, Inc., One Massachusetts
Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001, for information on discounts and
terms or call [phone].
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For my children,
Maxim, Ryan, Roger, Sherwin, and Dagny.
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C
ONTENTS
PART I: THE PERVASIVE BIAS
Introduction:Why Almost Everything
You’ve Ever Heard About Gun Control Contains Bias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Chapter 1:The Good and the Bad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Chapter 2:The Media on Guns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Chapter 3: How the Government Works Against Gun Ownership . . . .49
Chapter 4:The Shifting Debate:
Terrorism, Gun Control Abroad, and Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
PART II: EXAMINING THE EVIDENCE
Chapter 5:Evaluating Evidence on Guns:
How and How Not to Do It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
Chapter 6:Acts of Terror with Guns:
Multiple Victim Shootings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Chapter 7: Guns at Home: To Lock or Not to Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137
Chapter 8:Do Gun Shows and Assault Weapons Increase Crime? . . .191
Chapter 9:Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223
Appendix 1: Some Recent Evidence on Guns and Crime . . . . . . . . . . .227
Appendix 2: Other Measures of Gun Ownership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245
Appendix 3: Supplemental Tables for Chapters 6, 7, and 8 . . . . . . . . . .261
Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .275
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .333
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .335
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PART I
THE PERVASIVE BIAS