Facts About Firearms Policy Initiative

Instructions (click to expand)

A “Category” has specific “Tags” within it. Selecting a “Category” and then selecting a “Tag” will return the tags from that category. For example, selecting “Assorted Gun Violence Research Myths” returns four responses but selecting the tag “Women” will return one response from the four specifically about women and gun violence research myths.

One need not select a “Category” first. A “Tag” will return a response without selecting a broader category.

Gun Myth Categories

MYTH: Universal background checks would not have stopped a single mass shooting

FACT: A strong universal background check system that includes a permit-to-purchase requirement could have prevented half of the deadliest US mass shooters from acquiring the firearms used in the attacks.

MYTH: FBI Mass Shooting Definition

FACT: The FBI does not have a definition for mass shootings, and John Lott does not follow the FBI definition for active shootings either.

MYTH: Right-to-Carry Laws Prevent Mass Shootings and Reduce Crime

FACT: The evidence suggests that right-to-carry laws are associated with more mass shootings and gun deaths.

MYTH: Nearly All Public Mass Shootings Occur in Gun-Free Zones

FACT: John Lott misclassified multiple mass shootings, falsely claiming several European and American incidents occurred in gun-free zones.

MYTH: The FBI is Biased Against Guns and Skewed the Results of a Mass Shooting Report

FACT: John Lott’s false claim about the FBI’s Report stems from a fundamental mistake--the report studies active-shooting incidents, while Lott discusses mass shootings and mass murders.

MYTH: 98% of Mass Shootings Occur in Gun-Free Zones

FACT: Twelve to thirteen percent of mass shootings occur where guns are prohibited.

MYTH: Australia’s Gun Buyback Program Had No Benefits

FACT: Reputable academic studies find that Australia’s buyback program was successful in reducing gun deaths.

MYTH: Europe and US Have Similar Rates of Public Mass Shootings

FACT: Based on John Lott’s own data, the U.S. has twice the rate of mass shootings compared to Europe, contradicting Lott’s own claim.

MYTH: Americans Do Not Have More Mass Shootings than other Countries

FACT: Approximately 29.7% of worldwide public mass shootings by single perpetrators were committed in the U.S.

MYTH: Only 17% of guns used to commit crimes in Mexico originate in the U.S.

FACT: A 2009 GAO report found that 87% of Mexican crime guns over the previous five years came from the U.S.

MYTH: Gun owners shoot someone they know after mistaking them for an intruder between five to eleven times each year

FACT: Gun owners shoot someone they know more than 28 times a year, on average, after mistaking the person for an intruder .

MYTH: US Homicide Numbers are Inflated Compared to Other Countries Because of Defensive Gun Use

FACT: The gap between the number of firearm homicides and murders reflects John Lott’s comparison of comprehensive CDC data with incomplete FBI data.

Facts About Firearm Policy Initiative

Welcome to GVPedia’s Facts About Firearms Policy Initiative. Our goal is to expose the truths behind the myths and misconceptions that warp the conversation around gun violence and provide you with the talking points and research you need to change hearts and minds. This project debunks the most prevalent myths, provides access to resources that will help you spread awareness of the truth, and sheds light on unethical behavior by the purveyors of these myths. It is vital that we change the narrative because these myths have appeared in sworn testimony and prominent publications that have swayed the minds of judges, lawmakers, and the general public.

The claims and incidents detailed here cover some of the most egregious falsehoods and ethical malpractices in cases where the evidence is clear, can be concisely presented, and the case itself is substantive. We also largely eschew debates over econometric methodology.

This database is not exhaustive. We will address more myths and other substantive cases as needed. The Facts About Firearms Policy Initiative is ongoing and will be updated over the coming months and years.

As it currently stands, the project focuses significantly on the work and actions of one individual: researcher John R. Lott Jr. This is neither an accident nor the product of malice. While it is the false ideas themselves that are most important to refute, Lott serves as a prolific vehicle for such falsehoods, and is the original author of most of them. His work has real-world consequences, ranging from serving as an expert witness in important court cases to influencing policymaking. For example, Mike DeWine, the Governor of Ohio, stated publicly that he relied on Lott’s research when he signed the state’s Stand Your Ground law in January 2021. Lott’s role in the gun violence debate is the primary reason the project also includes his history of unethical behavior that directly challenges his status as a reliable expert.

John Lott’s prominence in the gun violence debate is buoyed by his credentials. Lott received his PhD in economics from UCLA and has held positions at Stanford, Rice, UCLA, Wharton School of Business, the University of Maryland, the University of Chicago, Yale, and the American Enterprise Institute. He rose to national prominence in 1996 with a study claiming that Right-to-Carry laws decreased rates of violent crime. He turned those findings into the book More Guns, Less Crime, and has since published a number of other books on gun violence including The Bias Against Guns, The War on Guns, and Gun Control Myths. In 2013, he founded the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC), an organization he left in October 2020 when he was hired as a senior adviser for research and statistics at the Office of Justice Programs in the U.S. Department of Justice under the Trump administration. Lott returned to CPRC in January 2021.

In the past decade, Lott and the CPRC have written for and been cited by dozens of media outlets, including the Washington Post, New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, LA Times, Politifact, CBS, CNN, Newsweek, Fox News, and many others, as an authority on gun violence statistics. He has been called to testify in front of Congress and numerous State legislatures on a number of occasions. He has also served as an expert witness in a number of prominent legal challenges to gun laws across the country.

We recognize that Lott has responded to some of the evidence compiled in this project. Where applicable, when Lott provided a substantive response to the allegations of misinformation, we reference it and provide counter-evidence. Most importantly, if material evidence emerges that any one of our evaluations is in error, we will promptly correct the mistake and publicly note that we have made a correction.

We hope this project serves as a tool to help advocates fighting for life saving policy debunk the myths that have persevered for too long. Good public policy can only be made using good research and data. It is our mission to arm you with the facts so that we can end the gun violence epidemic plaguing our country.

You can access a full PDF of the initiative entries here.