The Star Tribune published an op-ed attacking Dr. John Lott for a talk that he had given in Lakeville, Minnesota on February 23rd. The attacks weren’t of much substance. This letter appeared on March 1st.
Paul Shambroom’s Feb. 27 commentary about the Lakeville anti-gun vigil and my concurrent public safety lecture left out a few important facts (“A vigil and a pro-gun event, taken together”). Shambroom complains about the lack of interaction between attendees of the two events. But, in fact, I reached out to organizers of the vigil and offered to speak at the event. Everyone wants to increase public safety, even if we disagree on how to accomplish it. I had hoped to create a dialogue between the two groups.
Shambroom claims that I refused his booklet containing profiles of the Florida shooting victims. But he doesn’t mention that I informed him I had already read extensively about each of the victims. I suggested that he give his booklet to someone who didn’t yet know about the victims.
John R. Lott Jr., Swarthmore, Pa.
The writer is president of the Crime Prevention Research Center.
Fact Checking Bias, Letters that we submitted
The War On Guns: Arming Yourself Against Gun Control Lies
More Guns, Less Crime (University of Chicago Press, 3rd ed, 2010)
Straight Shooting: Firearms, Economics and Public Policy
Denied a Chance: How Gun Control helped a stalker murder my husband
Freedomnomics, see Chapter 4 for a general overview of the economics of crime
Dumbing Down the Courts: How Politics Keeps the Smartest Judges Off the Bench
