Emails (excerpted), John R. Lott Jr., president, Crime Prevention Research Center, Jan. 8 and 11, 2016
On Friday, January8, 2016, at Friday, January 8, 6:25 PM, Selby, Gardner (CMG-Austin) <wgselby@statesman.com> wrote:
I’d neglected to ask what led you to conclude that the identified two mass shootings occurred in places that were NOT gun-free zones.
g.
5:29 p.m.
The IHOP wasn’t posted. The shooting in Arizona was in a parking lot and was not posted. Both occurred in RTC states. General citizens were allowed to carry.
John R. Lott, Jr., Ph.D.
President
Crime Prevention Research Center
On Monday, January11, 2016, at Monday, January 11, 2:42 PM, Selby, Gardner (CMG-Austin) <wgselby@statesman.com> wrote:
I was reviewing the more detailed data and saw your notation about the Washington Naval Yard: There were armed guards at the Washington Navy Yard, and the shooter was familiar with the premises, so he did not select it as a target on the presumption he would not faced armed resistance. In fact, the shooter reportedly used a gun that he took from a guard after killing him.
Fair to say the fact it’s a gun-free zone was not a factor in the attack?
2:10 p.m.
Aaron Alexis had a shotgun that he used to gain access to the facility, and after that he obtained the gun of the armed guard who was at the entrance that Alexis used to gain access to the facility. The problem with these military facilities is that the only people with guns are the guards. In this case the guards were located at the entrances and once he had gotten past that he realized that there was little to stop him.