There has always been a lot of debate from both sides of the aisle as to whether or not guns impact the amount of crime in an area. The problem is that for a long time, both gun-rights advocates, and gun-control advocates would produce contradictory evidence supporting their positions.
One man, John Lott Jr. set out to produce the definitive book which could be used to finish all debates.
Who is John Lott, Jr? He was the Chief Economist at the United States Sentencing Commission, and is currently a Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. And it was his intention to write and produce a book that would set the record straight once and for all. He found the sloppy research pervading the debate around guns to be distressing, and the cause of more harm than good. It's easy to discredit your intellectual opponent when their data is built on faulty conclusions.
What's Good?
Data data data. This is book is nothing if not CHOCK-FULL of data, statistics, and graphs. If you want to double-check his numbers and conclusions, John Lott's given you everything you need.
But not only is it full of data, but the book is logically organized, and the information is clearly explained. And most importantly, no matter how Lott comes at the data provided, he comes back with nearly the same results: private ownership of guns, and the practice of non-discretionary gun licensing has a downward impact on crime. This is especially true among women. Women are typically considered soft targets by criminals, so when a woman carries a gun, and uses it to deter crime, the overall crime rate drops by a minimum of 8.5%, though often by more.
That may not seem like a lot, but you have to consider that that figure means that several thousand fewer people would have been murdered if they'd carried guns. Several thousand fewer women would be raped, if they'd carried guns. In a nation of 300+ million people, an 8.5% jump is significant.
What's Bad?
Did I mention that there's a lot of statistics and data? This is not quick or light reading. You really have been given a lot to chew on here. That's not in my mind, a bad thing, but I know it will offput some other people. Other than that, it's superb. Maybe statistics is not your thing. Maybe you're not a fan of plots and charts and graphs, but I hope that that will not deter you. I learned a lot from this book. Yes, some of the discussions on statistical methods went over my head, but I didn't let that intimidate me. And you shouldn't either.
Summary
This book get 5 out of 5. It's great, and I'm glad I took the time to read it. I hope you will too! Buy it! You won't regret it.
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