U.S. Newswire
29 Sep 11:44

Gun Crime Expert Decries Handgun Control’s ‘Deliberately
Deceptive’ Presidential Campaign Ads
To: National Desk
Contact: Jenny Choo, 800-536-5920 or 703-739-5920

ALEXANDRIA, VA , Sept. 29 /U.S. Newswire/ — Noted gun crime
expert, Dr. John R. Lott, Jr., and author of More Guns, Less
Crime (University of Chicago, 2000) today decried the recent
presidential race ad campaign from Handgun Control, Inc.
that misrepresents the facts about handgun ownership in the state
of Texas. The anti-gun group’s ads unfairly manipulate Texas
crime statistics, said Lott, and attempt to create a false
impression of the Lone Star State as “the Wild West.”

“These ads try to say that Texas is more dangerous due to
its conceal carry law for handguns when in fact murder rates in
Texas fell by 25 percent between 1995 and 1997, much faster
than the 16 percent decline in states without shall issue laws,”
said Dr. Lott, author of the book More Guns, Less Crime — which
studied 20 years of crime statistics for all 3,054 U.S. counties.

“Handgun Control’s ads are deliberately deceptive attempts
to develop a call for more gun laws when there are no academic
studies showing that their licensing and registration proposals
or even the Brady Act reduce violent crime.”

Dr. Lott points out that the ads ask viewers to visit the
HCI website, which is replete with inaccuracies and
misrepresentations of facts. One such claim is that 23
concealed carry permit holders have been convicted of murder in Texas
since the law started in Jan. 1996. Dr. Lott points out that the
pure statistics show that only 2 permit holders have been
convicted and that the rest of the number were arrests.

These arrests involved individuals who had used their guns to
defend themselves, but the police had arrested them until it could
be determined that the permit holder had acted properly.
Moreover, permit holders are only arrested for any crime at one-eighth
the rate of other adults and even when they are arrested are
much less likely to be convicted that other adults.

Additionally, Dr. Lott refutes the widespread misconception
that Texas Gov. George W. Bush signed a bill in 1997 that
permitted permit holders to carry guns into churches and
amusement parks. Actually, guns are and have always been
prohibited in churches and the 1997 bill merely created a
uniform warning sign requirement for all public buildings,
including churches. Ministers across Texas supported the
bill, which was enacted to give permit holders fair warning about
where guns were prohibited.

“These ads are extremely inaccurate research and are
designed to inflame public opinion. Because the anti-gun lobby can’t
make a case based on the facts, they have decided that easy lies
are a better gamble than arguing the facts,” concluded Dr. Lott.
To interview Dr. John R. Lott, Jr., author of More Guns,
Less Crime about the Handgun Control Inc ad campaign, please call
Jenny Choo of Craig Shirley & Associates at 800-536-5920.

KEYWORDS:

CRIME

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/U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
09/29 11:44

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