John Lott: Gun laws disarm the vulnerable, not killers

The Australian ^ | April 18 2007 | John Lott

[knighthawk]

FEW tragedies make their victims feel more helpless than multiple-victim shootings. Imagine the terror: unable to escape, simply waiting for the killer.

With 32 murdered, the Virginia Tech attack this week left more people dead than the two previous most deadly shootings: the 1991 Luby's Cafeteria massacre in Texas, which left 23 people dead, and the shooting at a California McDonald's in 1984 in which 21 people were killed.

Of course, these horrors are hardly unique to the US, and Australians need no reminding. In 1996 Martin Bryant killed 35 people at Port Arthur in Tasmania. In the last half-dozen years, European countries including France, Germany and Switzerland have experienced multiple-victim shootings. The worst in Germany resulted in 17 deaths; in Switzerland one attack claimed the lives of 14 regional legislators.

[knighthawk]

Ping

[Molly Pitcher]

I was hoping Lott would respond to the current hysteria...

[Stayfree]

This is a must read, cut and paste the article and send copies to all state & federal legislators!!!!!!!!!

[RKV]

"Bill Landes of the University of Chicago law school and I examined multiple-victim public shootings in the US from 1977 to 1999 and found that when states passed right-to-carry laws, the rate of multiple-victim public shootings fell by 60 per cent. Deaths and injuries from multiple-victim public shootings fell even further, on average by 78 per cent, as the remaining incidents tended to involve fewer victims per attack."

Wow! I guess you call that "the smoking gun."

[Incorrigible]

And friends who let their emotions get in front of their thought process.

[facedown]

Too bad John Howard hasn’t figured this out.

[betsyross1776]

I would have rather seen a student with a gun stop this man when he committed the first murder then see the evil that was not stopped because of this killer. I think if they do not want armed guards or security cameras then let each student have the option to pack and carry. I would rather know my kids are safe in college then run to the tv to see which college victims are next. Guns do not kill people , people kill people!

[El Laton Caliente]

TAGGED

[snowsislander]

I am surprised and pleased to see such a fine article appear in an Australian newspaper.

[TASMANIANRED]

Bang on.