Lott on the NAS Report

John Lott has taken a few hits lately follwoing the National Academy of Sciences report [here's the press release; you can — and should — download the whole document from here] that gun control is a huge, screaming boondoggle that doesn't work but why don't we study it some more because, what the heck...

Specifically, the report found no evidence to back up Lott's carefully researched contention that "shall-issue" carry laws reduce crime. Here's Lott's response, as published on the Volokh Conspiracy blog. As usual, it's dense and meticulously researched:

It is hard to look through the NAS panel's tables on right-to-carry laws and not find overwhelming evidence that right-to-carry laws reduce violent crime. The results that don't are based upon the inclusion of zero values noted in point 1 above. Overall, the panel's own evidence from the latest data up through 2000 shows significant benefits and no costs from these laws.

My impression is that Gary Kleck also has a very similar reaction to the panels' findings regarding surveys on self defense.