To the editor:

In the Public Forum on July 5, Jim Winn argued that Kansans should embrace the new concealed gun law since, according to Mr. Winn, it is a “demonstrable FACT” that states with concealed gun laws have seen large decreases in crime. Winn cited John Lott’s book “More Guns, Less Crime” to support his point.

However, since Lott published his book in 1998, studies by scholars at institutions such as Emory University, Stanford University and the National Academy of Sciences have either cast serious doubt upon or even refuted Lott’s findings. In fact, one study even took Lott’s own data, put it into a slightly different (though just as valid) statistical model, and found that the results could no longer support Lott’s argument. Therefore, Lott’s book does not provide the “demonstrable FACTS” that Mr. Winn claims it does.

When Kansans further debate this issue, I hope they keep this in mind.

Evan Ferrier,

Lawrence