GunFreedomRadio EP416 Arming Our Minds with Dr. John Lott
Our guest today is Dr. John Lott. Dr. Lott is the President of the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC), which is a research and education organization dedicated to providing an objective and accurate scientific evaluation of both the costs and benefits of gun ownership as well as policing activities. He is a world-recognized expert on guns and crime and the author of a number of books including "More Guns, Less Crime" and his latest "The War On Guns: Arming Yourself Against Gun Control Lies". 1) People who want more legal restrictions on Responsibly Armed Citizens have been peddling the phrase “Guns are the leading cause of death in children”. You recently posted some research results that show that to be a false claim. Let’s dig into the reasons why that is false. - Some reports use stats for ages 3-24 - there is a spike in the ages of 15-16 and particularly for black males - reports use all deaths involving firearms (including suicides and justifiable self-defense homicides) 2) We all want to save lives and make our communities safer. The Gun-Control Advocates claim that raising the age of gun-ownership to 21 will be the magic to do just that. Based on your research, will that change in the law really save lives? 3) California Governor Newsom is pushing for an Amendment to the US Constitution to restrict Gun Rights. Does his proposal make any sense to the stated goal of saving lives? • Raising the federal minimum age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21 • Mandating universal background checks • Instituting a waiting period for all gun purchases • Barring civilian purchase of “assault weapons” 4) You recently testified at a Texas House Select Committee offering compelling information about how to effectively protect our schools – and that armed staff will save lives because they are the true immediate responders – and the Legislators simply ignored the facts and instead attacked your character. How important is it to speak up as you did even in the face of insult? 5) You made an interesting wager recently...asking Gun-Control activists to put their money where their theories are. Talk to us about that. - If Brazil’s Firearm Ban Is So Great, Why Won’t Gun-Control Activists Bet On It?