213: The Lie that More Guns Equals Less Crime

"More guns equal less crime" is perhaps one of the most pervasive myths in the United States; the reality is, firearms simply don't make us safer. This false data has since been used as justification in any number of laws, and is frequency referenced in gun lobby rhetoric. It's also been used as the basis for other false (yet popular) claims, like the myth that shooters choose "gun free zones" to commit their crimes.

Hosts Kelly and JJ were joined by Dr. John Donohue (C. Wendell and Edith M. Carlsmith Professor of Law, Standford Law)  and Erin Davis (Senior Counsel, Trial & Appellate Litigation at Brady) to: break down where these myths, pervasive as they are, came from; what gave them their power, and their stickiness; and how can you, as listeners, fight back against disinformation?

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Further reading:
Will a Gun Keep Your Family Safe? (the Trace)
Easiness of Legal Access to Concealed Firearm Permits and Homicide Rates in the United States (AJPH)
MYTH: Mass Shooters Target Gun-free Zones (GVPedia)
Why John Lott Is the Right's Favorite Gun Researcher (the Trace)

Brady and This Is Our Lane believe we cannot end gun violence until we treat it as the public health issue that it is. Want to help us? Read and sign our letter by clicking here. 

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Full transcripts and bibliographies of this episode are available at bradyunited.org/podcast.

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Music provided by: David “Drumcrazie” Curby
Special thanks to Hogan Lovells for their long-standing legal support
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