****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
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.In much the same way that Immanuel Kant devoted reams of dense prose to a philosophical foundation for the Golden Rule, John Lott piles chapter after chapter and chart after chart of thorough, systematic data analysis into support for propositions that you intuitively know to be correct.Armed citizens stop crimes.The more armed citizens you have, the lower your rate of violent crime -- criminals are stupid, but they're rational, and they don't want to get shot any more than you do.En route, Lott's analysis of the data reveals additional points that are very interesting and may be slightly less intuitive. For instance:1. Blacks benefit more from gun ownership than whites. On average, black Americans live in worse neighborhoods with higher crime rates than white Americans. When laws permitting citizens to carry concealed firearms are introduced, crime rates fall more dramatically in those neighborhoods, and black Americans benefit disproportionately.Yep, that's right. Gun control is racist.2. Women benefit more from gun ownership than men. Women's ownership of concealed weapon permits decreases the women's murder rate more than men's ownership decreases the men's rate. Women toting guns also significantly reduce the rape rate.Amen, sister. Gun control is sexist, too.3. Private gun ownership is cheap law enforcement. I don't mean vigilantism -- I mean deterrence. Private gun ownership lowers more crime per dollar spent than almost any other crime reduction measure...and the gun owners bear virtually all of the cost.And the list goes on. In addition to the statistical analysis (including abundant responses to academic and not-so-academic criticism), Lott recounts the reception of his initial paper on the subject, as well as the hardback edition of the book, and discusses the media mistreatment of school shootings and similar events.The book is dense, but as statistics-driven sociology goes, quite readable. Go buy it today.And then apply for your concealed weapon permit.My background is in Economics, so Lott's approach probably appeals to me more than it would otherwise. His study and methodology are really first rate, which is extremely uncommon on such a politically charged issue. Usually with Guns & Gun Controll, the advocacy groups (NRA, Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, etc) have the stage; there is little room for an honest evaluation of the situation.The bulk of the book will be rather dry for most (I happen to like multiple regression analysis), but there are some amusing chapters towards the end where the author addresses some of the attacks that have been made against him, as well as how the media responded to the book.Unfortunately, books like this won't change anyone's opinion on the central issue, because these are probably already established. If you are pro-gun, this book will definately bolster your ability to argue the issue. Conversely, if you are anti-gun, this study is the one to beat; trying to discredit Dr. Lott and this study has become a bit of a cottage industry of late, and I suspect it will continue to be that way for the forseeable future!Government hates you....hates your freedom!Very well researched book. The author uses facts (with sources, many sources) to expose the truth on this important subject.Produit d'occasion mais comme neuf et en excellent état, rien à dire, je recommande vraiment.
