Free Republic

When you watch the news after the latest big shooting, there's a good chance you'll come across John Lott. The 57-year-old economist has made more than 100 media appearances over the past two years, from friendly conversations on Fox News to heated debates on MSNBC and CNN. After nine churchgoers were gunned down in Charleston, South Carolina, he went on Sean Hannity's show and criticized President Obama for spreading "clearly false" information about gun violence. Following the recent mass shooting in Chattanooga, Tennessee, his op-ed asking "Why should we make it easy for killers to attack our military?" was among...

NEW HAVEN >> It’s around 6 on a Friday night and 36-year-old Yancey Horton, or “Brother Born,” as he is known in the community, is busy banging out a dozen pull-ups at the Lincoln-Bassett School playground. Unlike most people, Horton is doing pull-ups while he is strapped into a wheelchair. “A weak body is a breeding ground for weak thoughts,” he said. Horton was shot about eight years ago during an attempted robbery; he has a mental block when it comes to the exact date. He was walking home after work and made a stop at a Willis Street corner...

More school shootings, and the inevitable commentary on the evening news: "I didn't think this sort of thing could happen here." The heartfelt, but naive belief that murderous rampages "don't happen here" begs the question: "Where do you think such things happen?" Labels exist for the places where shootings occur: urban, inner city. But one thing urban folks can tell their scared suburban friends right now is that a good part of the horrendous violence in their communities is due to the proliferation of guns. Sometimes it seems like everyone is packing. Someone disrespects your girl? Shoot 'em. Someone looks...

The NRA versus the Rest of Us Posted by Lorelei Kelly Another example of how well conservatives have staked out the terrain at the intersection of politics and ideas: This month's Foreign Policy magazine has a terrific article about the worldwide influence of America's highly influential gun lobby, the National Rifle Association. Author David Morton, writing from South America, depicts how the NRA exploits the dark side of globalization--using shallow "feel good" messages about liberty and freedom to push its ideological agenda--one that allows no limits on individual ownership of guns. The disappointing part of the NRA is not found...