John Lott Believes Concealed Weapons Save Lives

By Connect Mason Reporter Edwin Mora

“Concealed Carry on Campus Week” continues with guest speaker John Lott speaking to the GMU community in the Johnson Center April 2.

Lott is the author of the book More Guns Less Crime, Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws. Lott is an economist whose specialty is to measure and record the effects of legal rules.

Lott claimed that the media fails to report on positive results of civilians using their guns to stop crimes and that there is less crime in areas where civilian gun carrying is allowed.

“It’s kind of hard to explain why when a civilian uses a gun to save a life,” says Lott, “It does not get as much coverage as a police officer doing it.” Media coverage, according to Lott, only focuses on the negative results of defensive gun use, which he says is “typical notions of what’s newsworthy.”

Lott went on to discuss the different studies conducted by government agencies such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “I could not find a single report of the benefits of people owning guns,” said Lott, “They only measured the cost and not the benefits.”

He claims that national polls do the same. “Not one single poll in my 15 years of research asks people about the benefits of gun ownership.”

There is more crime in areas with gun control laws than areas allowing citizens to carry guns, according to Lott. “There is no drop in suicide rates [in gun controlled areas]. What you do see is an increase in violent crimes.”

Lott does not agree with criminals being allowed to carry guns but he alleges that right-to-carry laws will result in a drop in public shootings.

“Most multiple-public shootings occurred in gun-free zones,” said Lott. He pointed out the Salt Lake City, Utah mall shooting. Lott pointed out it was the only mall with gun-free zone signs. The off-duty officer had to apologize for using his gun to stop the offender.

“At some point, it has to become obvious that all these attacks involving more than three people occurred in the same venue,” Lott said, referring to gun-free zones.

Allowing civilians to carry guns could mean stopping a crime during the time frame when the police officer has not yet arrived. “It would be great if the police can get there instantly, but they can’t,” says Lott. “I don’t know of any multiple-victim shooting case, where a civilian stopped a shooter and a by-stander was hurt.”