[AJ Dual]

Here it goes again. But we also have a nice rebuttal from John Lott in the letters to the editor today...



Editorial: Guns and political muscle

From the Journal Sentinel

Last Updated: Nov. 13, 2003

The gun lobby's political muscle helps to explain the passage of a concealed-carry bill by the Wisconsin Legislature despite the lack of popular support for the measure. For opponents of the proposal, the lesson is that they must bulk up, too.

The Republican-controlled Legislature has rushed this misguided bill to Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, as if arming residents were a matter of great state urgency. Doyle's expected veto deserves to be upheld. Notably, the state's top crime fighters (police chiefs, sheriffs, district attorneys) widely oppose the bill out of fear it would make the streets more dangerous. Also, the proposal underfinances duties it requires of local officials, already strapped for funds.

In general, according to poll data, Americans seem either satisfied with existing gun regulations or in favor of somewhat tighter restrictions. For example, considerable majorities favor the licensing of handgun owners and background checks on buyers of firearms at gun shows.

The trouble is, the minority makes up in passion, organization and money what it lacks in numbers. Hence, state and national lawmakers keep bottled up the sensible and popular idea of stopping criminals from using gun shows to skirt background checks.

The challenge for advocates of reasonable gun rules is to develop political muscle, too. The task now in Wisconsin is at least to protect from retribution those lawmakers who voted against repealing the state's 133-year ban on carrying concealed weapons. After all, one reason legislators kowtow to the foes of gun control is to avoid punishment, which shows up during campaign season in the form of attack ads or direct donations to challengers. Believers in the ban must learn to act as a counterforce - not just at the ballot box, but also through political contributions. (emphasis mine..)

Right now, thanks to the gun lobby's influence, the Wisconsin Legislature is skewed against sensible gun laws; the people, on the other hand, favor them. Backers of rational rules for firearms, as spokesmen both for the majority and for wise public policy, must learn to increase their political influence.

From the Nov. 14, 2003 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel


That tells me they know even if CCW gets defeated, there will be payback in '04 and the J-S editorial staff is a bit worried...

[AJ Dual]

I'd liked to see him directly support CCW more agressively in his letter. Although I suppose he is trying to mantain "Acedemic Detachment" and defending his work, and the peer-review it survivied.

CONCEALED-CARRY LAW

Critics' claims prevent reasonable debate

Opinion pieces in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel have mischaracterized the debate over concealed carry as well as my own research. One column made it appear as though the academic debate is between "the work of one man," myself, and a couple of critics. That is not the case.

Academics who have published refereed research in academic journals showing that right-to-carry laws reduce violent crime include: Carlisle Moody, David B. Mustard, John E. Whitley and David E. Olson, among others. While some studies claim the laws produce no change in violent crime rates, among all the national studies that have been done, no refereed academic publication concluded that these laws produce a significant increase in violent crime.

Contrary to claims that my book "More Guns, Less Crime" "flunked peer review," not only have the results been confirmed by many academics, but the book was published and refereed by the University of Chicago Press.

As to claims that permit holders put others at risk, consider the two largest states with right-to-carry laws, Florida and Texas. In the 15 years after Florida's concealed-carry law took effect in October 1987, about 800,000 licenses were issued. Only 143 of these were revoked because of firearms-related violations. Almost all of these cases apparently resulted from people accidentally carrying a gun into a restricted area, such as an airport, and no harm was done. The experience in Texas was similar.

Contrary to assertions that right-to-carry laws endanger police, the academic research consistently shows that right-to-carry laws reduce murders of police by between 4% and 9% per year because fewer criminals carry guns when law-abiding citizens are allowed to protect themselves.

As to Gregory Stanford's bogus claim that I "made up a key survey," that assertion involves one number in one sentence in the book filled with thousands of numbers. A computer crash destroyed the data file for that number, but the survey was replicated, and I obtained very similar results.

John R. Lott Jr.
American Enterprise Institute
Washington

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