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

John R. Lott Jr. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2003

John Lott shows how liberals bury pro-gun facts out of sheer bias against the truth. With irrefutable evidence, Lott shoots gun critics down and provides the information needed to win arguments with those who want to ban guns. Lott shows: How Diane Sawyer, Dan Rather, Charlie Gibson, and other TV talking heads promote gun control in the guise of 'news'; The clever way reporters and the New York Times 'spike' pro-gun stories; The trick government statisticians use to 'cook' data for the anti-gun lobby; Why bicycles, buckets, and football games are more dangerous to children than guns; Why 'assault weapons bans' and 'gun show' regulations are counterproductive; Why Britain -- which recently banned handguns -- now has a violent crime rate double that of America's; The fallacy of 'safe storage' laws. Want the facts? John Lott has them. With this book, anyone can arm themselves against liberals who would rather confiscate guns than fight crime.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Following up on his controversial study More Guns, Less Crime, economist Lott argues that widespread gun ownership prevents crime. He cites survey data and news reports to argue that the fear that victims might be armed strongly deters criminals, and that guns are used in self-defense or to ward off criminal threats about 2.3 million times a year. Because they impede law-abiding citizens' access to guns, even mild gun-control regulations-assault weapons bans, "one-gun-a-month" laws-actually increase crime, according to Lott, while right-to-carry laws lower crime and help prevent (or violently terminate) terrorist attacks and "rampage" shootings. Even measures to keep guns away from children, like "gun-free school zones" and "safe storage" laws that require guns to be locked away, are misguided because children need guns for self-defense (he cites news reports of kids as young as 11 gunning down criminals). The benefits of untrammeled gun availability are clear, Lott insists, and only the anti-gun bias and selective reporting by the media and government officials have kept this fact out of public consciousness. Lott supports his bold claims with elaborate statistical analyses that tease sometimes small effects out of the welter of factors that influence crime rates; there are lots of graphs and tables, and much space is devoted to scholarly discussions of statistical methodologies. Many readers will find these sections rough going, but Lott's provocative thesis is sure to stir interest among second-amendment stalwarts and gun-control supporters alike.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 349 pages
• Publisher: Regnery Publishing (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895261146
• ISBN-13: 978-0895261144
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #226,755 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #50 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > International & World Politics > Arms Control

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

184 of 200 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Blurbs Say It All March 16, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

Even for a cynic such as myself, Lott's documentation of how the media and the government distort our perceptions of guns is amazing. The research that went into this book is impressive. He documents not only the imbalance in newscoverage but also how the media actually makes news to discredit guns. He shows how government studies systematically measure only the bad things that happen with guns and never discuss the benefits.

"If you want the truth the anti-gunners don't want you to know... you need a copy of The Bias Against Guns." --Sean Hannity, of Fox News Channel's Hannity & Colmes

"John Lott's thoughtful study should be read by everyone interested in the control of violent crime, and protection against terrorism." --Vernon L. Smith, 2002 Nobel Prize Winner in Economics

"John Lott's 1998 book, More Guns, Less Crime, created quite a stir among the gun-control romantics, whose expressive advocacy involves neither sound analytics nor empirical evidence. In this follow-on book, The Bias Against Guns, Lott continues the struggle, and responds to his critics, motivated by his strong conviction that analysis and evidence must, finally, win the day." --James Buchanan, 1986 Nobel Prize Winner in Economics

"Another major contribution by John Lott to the evidence on the effects--good and bad--of gun-control legislation. An important supplement to his More Guns, Less Crime."--Milton Friedman, 1976 Nobel Prize Winner in Economics

"As a gun-toting rock 'n' roll star all my life, I have lived firsthand the outrageous media and Hollywood bias against good guys with guns forever. I laugh in their face. John Lott is my academic hero." --Ted Nugent, recording artist and author of Kill It & Grill It and Gods, Guns, & Rock 'n' Roll

"[Lott] marshals unimpeachable evidence on how the anti-gun crusade, driven by sins of omission and commission, might actually be costing many more lives than it saves. You'll want to have this intellectual ammunition." --Walter E. Williams, economist and syndicated columnist

"John Lott is a scholar's scholar and a writer's writer--and his book shows why. That gun ownership might bring social benefits as well as costs is a story we do not often see in the press, and Lott here explores why. With a blend of new data, evidence, and examples, he unpacks the bias against such stories in the media."--J. Mark Ramseyer, Harvard Law School professor

Most impressively he also provides all his data to people who what to recheck the work that he has done on the benefits of keeping guns in the home as well as his work on gun shows, concealed handgun laws, one-gun-a-month rules, and "assault weapons" bans. The web site is noted in the book as (...).

115 of 125 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The facts on gun control, and more readable this time March 22, 2003

By W. Huber

Format:Hardcover

If you want the facts on gun control, Lott's two books, "The Bias Against Guns" and "More Guns, Less Crime" are the way to go. Of the two, this later work is perhaps easier to aborb and the better choice for the lay reader. Lott's evidence is especially compelling in the current climate of terrorism threats as we determine how best to protect a free society, (whether through creation of an impossibly large police force that can be in all places at all times, or through empowerment of law abiding citizens to take increased accountability for self protection and as a deterrent to crime in their communities.)

You will undoubtedly see some reviewers give this five stars and some only one. The one star reviewers will not include any factual refutation of the arguments that Mr. Lott presents. His research is simply sound, and this soundness is not changed by the shrill personal attacks by the gun control crowd.

I have taken off one star from this review because of occasional redundant sections that remind the reader of Yogi Berra's deja vu maxim. Perhaps a stricter editor might have improved the flow a bit!

This book has been endorsed by three Nobel prize winning economists. Lott's research will be the standard source material for the gun policy debate for years to come.

77 of 82 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Read - Facts Over Fear On The Gun Control Debate April 11, 2003

By Tracy W. Price

Format:Hardcover

John Lott's 1st book, "More Guns, Less Crime," was an eye-opening look into what the science shows about the presence of guns in society and clearly illustrated the benefits of armed, law abiding citizens. His latest book, "The Bias Against Guns," expands further into media and governmental bias on the issue of guns and he debunks many of the "common sense" proposals for gun regulation; showing that these proposals actually increase crime while having no effect on accidental gun deaths.

Dr. Lott is a brilliant economist and he approaches his subject with a detached and unemotional, scientific process. In "The Bias Against Guns," he takes the reader through the progression of verifying findings and considering alternate explanations. The result is a thoroughly convincing work that argues for gun policy based upon dispassionate science instead of vitriolic and emotional claims made by the media and some in government.

Part I of "The Bias Against Guns" is a careful analysis of how government and the media have unfairly framed the gun control argument to show only the costs of guns in our society. Liberal media and government have - for many decades - systemically and purposefully ignored the benefits of gun ownership in America and around the world. Many people who view themselves as clear-minded independent thinkers will be shocked when they read this section of the book. An open-minded appraisal will reveal that a distaste and fear of guns is far less rational than a fear of automobiles, or, for that matter, five gallon buckets. Guns, cars and buckets are tools that have costs (dangers) and benefits. Part I of "The Bias Against Guns" shows clearly how the media and the government have advanced a one-sided, costs-only view of guns in our society.

Part II of "The Bias Against Guns" is a detailed, scientific evaluation of many different gun control measures. In his previous book, John Lott largely restricted his research to the costs and benefits of laws permitting ordinary citizens to carry concealed handguns. In "The Bias Against Guns," Lott evaluates laws such as safe storage requirements, the effects of gun control on multiple victim public shootings, "gun free" zones, bans on "assault weapons" and restrictions on gun shows. Again, Lott's dispassionate analysis gives these issues very fair treatment, evaluating all possible explanations for his findings. The results are sometimes surprising but always based upon scientific evidence and not emotional presuppositions.

If you are a proponent of law-abiding citizens owning guns, you will find much in "The Bias Against Guns" that will support your point of view. If you are among the many Americans that are more afraid of having a gun in your home than a car in your garage, I strongly urge you to read John Lott's latest book. You will come away convinced that our nations gun policy should be based upon what the science of the matter reports and not the liberal media's version of "common sense."