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More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun-Control Laws Paperback – June 15, 2000

by John R. Lott Jr. (Author)

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There is a newer edition of this item:

More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws, Third Edition (Studies in Law and Economics)
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Does allowing people to own or carry guns deter violent crime? Or does it simply cause more citizens to harm each other? Directly challenging common perceptions about gun control, legal scholar John Lott presents the most rigorously comprehensive data analysis ever done on crime statistics and right-to-carry laws. This timely and provocative work comes to the startling conclusion: more guns mean less crime. In this paperback edition, Lott has expanded the research through 1996, incorporating new data available from states that passed right-to-carry and other gun laws since the book's publication as well as new city-level statistics.

"Lott's pro-gun argument has to be examined on the merits, and its chief merit is lots of data. . . . If you still disagree with Lott, at least you will know what will be required to rebut a case that looks pretty near bulletproof."—Peter Coy, Business Week

"By providing strong empirical evidence that yet another liberal policy is a cause of the very evil it purports to cure, he has permanently changed the terms of debate on gun control. . . . Lott's book could hardly be more timely. . . . A model of the meticulous application of economics and statistics to law and policy."—John O. McGinnis, National Review

"His empirical analysis sets a standard that will be difficult to match. . . . This has got to be the most extensive empirical study of crime deterrence that has been done to date."—Public Choice

"For anyone with an open mind on either side of this subject this book will provide a thorough grounding. It is also likely to be the standard reference on the subject for years to come."—Stan Liebowitz, Dallas Morning News

"A compelling book with enough hard evidence that even politicians may have to stop and pay attention. More Guns, Less Crime is an exhaustive analysis of the effect of gun possession on crime rates."—James Bovard, Wall Street Journal

"John Lott documents how far 'politically correct' vested interests are willing to go to denigrate anyone who dares disagree with them. Lott has done us all a service by his thorough, thoughtful, scholarly approach to a highly controversial issue."—Milton Friedman

Print length

321 pages
Language

English
Publisher

University Of Chicago Press
Publication date

June 15, 2000
Dimensions

6.25 x 1 x 9.5 inches
ISBN-10

0226493644
ISBN-13

978-0226493640
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John R. Lott, Jr. teaches criminal deterrence and law and economics at the University of Chicago, where he is the John M. Olin Visiting Law and Economics Fellow.

Product details

Publisher : University Of Chicago Press; 2nd edition (June 15, 2000)
Language : English
Paperback : 321 pages
ISBN-10 : 0226493644
ISBN-13 : 978-0226493640
Item Weight : 15.9 ounces
Dimensions : 6.25 x 1 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,155,706 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #294 in Arms Control (Books)
- #1,661 in General Elections & Political Process
- #3,050 in Civil Rights & Liberties (Books)

Customer Reviews:
85 ratings

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Adam Paternostro

Great book which really shows the facts

Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2009

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The book really shows the numbers by comparing data that makes sense as to whether more guns reduce crime. It breaks down the numbers and shows 8 to 10% drop in violent/personal crime when conceal weapons permits are issued. It also shows non-personal crime goes a up little (car thief and robbery when people are not home) since criminals switch to "more safer" crime so they are not confronted by an armed civilian. The book goes into the how people who do not carry a firearm benefit from the people who do, since criminals do not know who is carrying a conceal weapon. The book also shows that conceal weapon permit holders have a remarkable low rate of having their permits revoked, going against what some people say issuing permits will cause more crime. If you want to understand crime and guns this a great reference. It is written at a fairly technical level so it is not just a book where you turn the pages and read like a novel.

3 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Must Read

Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2020

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Irrefutable data. Not political or argumentative.

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Dr. Rogers JGT

The Book's conclusion is correct, but...

Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2009

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Regarding the Amazon editorial review by David Hemenway, Ph.D, like all anti-gun promoters, the review fails to address the real issue.

Gun violence from registered gun owners is virtually non-existent. Where guns cause problems is in two areas: (1) criminals with guns, (2) people who have access to guns without any training, including children and family members.

The problem for those of us who understand self-defense with a firearm is the lack of encouragement given to others, by government, to get firearms training, to learn to defend yourself and family in a way that makes sense.

When gun control laws are strict, law-abiding people do not learn much about weapons, and thus guns are often discharged by accident, or those using them are not effective in stopping in-home invasions, or other events in which a gun would stop a criminal.

To believe that the police can protect your family and property is the height of ignorance. They simply don't do it, they don't have the resources, and when they do finally come with sirens blaring and lights flashing, the criminal has either completed the crime, or is laying in wait for the police (who routinely give plenty of notice with noise, lights, tires squaling, etc.) - and when the police engage a criminal, they use deadly force at times, but they also get shot themselves. And criminals pay no attention to gun control laws.

In conceal carry permit states, criminals are less likely to engage in crime. Period, it's a fact, and the FBI knows it, informed police know it, informed citizens know it, but arrogant politicians think the police are the only ones who can protect citizens.

Isn't in interesting how many police are themselves users of weapons to commit crimes of murder and assault themselves? They are no more or less likely to be safe users of firearms than a citizen with reasonable training. So they use untrained citizens as their benchmark for gun control, which of course is a self-fulfilling prophecy -- no training, poor results.

More guns AND more training in the use of guns, less crime. Perhaps that is what the title should say.

PS: Criminals like gun control laws, it disarms their victims and makes crime a safer occupation. Is that the desired result of gun control laws? It may not be the objective, but it is the clear outcome of strict gun control laws.

Focus on gun usage, gun training, and issue more CCW. I would rather know that my neighbor had a gun, knew how to use it, and would be there to help protect the neighborhood against criminals than to be hiding in his/her closet waiting to be shot or killed by a gun toting criminal. You can't take a knife to a gunfight and expect to survive any more than you can expect the police to help based on your 911 call. By the time they arrive, you're likely to be dead, or severely injured. In crimes against people in their homes, the police are useless and provide nothing more than false hope and expectations.

Ever wonder why crimes don't happen at doughnut shops where the police hang out? Criminals aren't stupid, they know that armed victims are hazardous to their own health.

12 people found this helpful

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B. Foster

Two books in one

Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2009

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The first six chapters are a summary of his research that was originally published in a legal journal. Chapter 7, as the chapter title implies, addresses the political and academic debate stimulated by his technical publication. In the first section Lott does a fair job of giving a popular level presentation of his research. It is very difficult to present technical material to a popular audience. Unfortunately many of Lott's tables failed to show what they were intended to. I think Lott made the mistake of trying to lead the reader from his data to his conclusions. But with the abbreviated tables and graphs presented, this is not a realistic goal and the reader is left to take his word for it or to get a copy of the original article. Most of the critisism I have seen is not of the regression analyses themselves but of Lott's conclusions based on them, or sometimes on his data set. I think this section could have been shortened to just a few chapters, and the last chapter expanded to form the bulk of the book. In the last section he addresses some of the main objections to his work.

One person found this helpful

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Linda L. Grau LeeLee

More Guns Less Crime by John Lott Analysis

Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2009

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It is easy enough to say if law-abiding people have guns to protect themselves crime is less likely to occur. This book by John Lott give statstical proof to the statement "More guns is the best protection the law-abiding citizen has in these United States of America." There is another reason I am so glad to have purchased this book. In the course of discussion, if I feel the person I am talking to is ignorant of the subject, I kindly suggest reading the book, More Guns Less Crime. Immediately, I discover if they are an inquisitive learner or someone with an agenda. George Bernare Shaw said, "The right to know is like the right to live. It is fundamental and unconditional in its assumption that knowledge, like life, is a desirable thing." That is why Amazon stock in the Stock Market is doing so well while other stocks are tumbling. For those of us who wish to learn, and some of us have extra time on our hands in this dire economic environment, reading More Guns Less Crime is definitely an eye-opener to self-defense.

2 people found this helpful

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Bryan S. Sampsel

In Depth numbers analysis

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2000

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Most of us have given up on statistics. They've been manipulated so often that few of us trust them anymore.
John Lott took the same statistics we hear arguments over and broke them down into as many specifics as he could. In some areas, data just didn't exist to support either side of this debate. He notates accordingly what he found, very dutifully I might add.
What you have is a book that gives you specifics on numbers, the comparisons (as they can be made) and some startling conclusions -- startling even to pro gunners.
This topic is filled with bogus and questionable statistics, on both sides. John Lott brought the indifferent academic mindset back in play and gave us some real information to work with.

12 people found this helpful

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