A reminder of what I wrote three years ago on the National Academy of Sciences Panel

My piece in the LA Times is still accurate today. It is interesting that the panel claims that for "80 gun prevention programs" they can't find any evidence that gun control reduced violent crime, suicides, or accidental deaths. While I will write up a more substantive discussion, James Q. Wilson's very unusual dissent in the first appendix says a lot. Wilson concluded that the research provides "confirmation of the findings that shall-issue laws drive down the murder rate . . . ," though he is less convinced of the change in other crimes. The NAS won't tell me how many panels have had dissents previously, though they admit that they are very rare. It is disappointing that the panel refused to let me ask questions during their presentation.

Britain to ban knife sales to those under 18

Some types of toy guns, now pocket knives. Britain's anti-crime policy has become a real parody: "In an attempt to allay fears about rising levels of violence, shops will be banned from selling knives to under-18s and stiffer penalties will
be imposed on those caught carrying knives on the street."

Pro-Gun Professor Claims University Denied Him Free Speech

However, unable on their own to demote a tenured professor, Deming's opponents turned to some of the university's top financial donors, according to FIRE, persuading them to threaten a funding cutoff if Deming was not punished. One such threat in November 2003, from a donor who had never met Deming, paved the way for the punitive actions to be taken, FIRE claims.

"Judge ruled punch-card voting does not deny right to vote"

More on Judge David Dowd's ruling from yesterday: "All voters in a county, regardless of race, use the same voting system to cast a ballot, and no one is denied the opportunity to cast a valid vote because of their race," Dowd said in a 32-page ruling.

Democrats say they don't trust the voters

From Opinionjournal.com's Daily Political Diary:

"Zack Exley, the guru who ran John Kerry's web efforts, has just given a sharp assessment of why his man's online campaign fell short this election year. Speaking last week at a Harvard symposium on politics and the Internet, Mr. Exley said that Democratic ranks were flush with goatee-chinned web designers who didn't actually deliver votes. "The difference between our approach and the Republicans is that we were more interested in just putting cool software up. Republicans are beating us at what used to be our game: the grassroots approach. That's real politics," he said. "Basically [the Democrats] don't trust the people."

Big Win on Punch Card Voting Machines in Ohio

Not only did the court reject the claim that punch card voting machines are unconstitutional, but the judge accepted my arguments on comparing punch cards to other voting machines. The ACLU described the case as: "ACLU’s Historic Challenge to Ohio’s “Hanging Chad” Punch Cards." Among the quotes from his decision:

The study of Dr. Lott, defendants’ expert, makes a strong case for the proposition that punch card voting technology fares quite well in comparison to other technologies when considering drop-off or residual vote in elections beyond that of the presidency for the years 1992, 1996, and 2000.

(The link to the decision will be working later today.)

Murders in US Down 6 Percent in First 6 Months

A nice posting on Hanukkah

A very interesting piece arguing that President Bush is much more popular in Arab countries than one would think

USA Today: "Companies that ban guns put on defensive"

The piece is obviously tilted against gun owners, but it is still interesting:

"Employers have long banned guns from the workplace as part of a violence-prevention strategy, but those policies are being tested as states pass laws making it easier for residents to carry concealed guns -- in some cases, crafting legislation that strikes down employers' attempts to keep guns off company property.

That means employers, who have traditionally shied away from such politically charged issues as gun control, are filing lawsuits to preserve their no-guns-allowed rules. "Are we promoting open firefights in the parking lot?" says Paul Viollis, president of Risk Control Strategies in New York. "For legislation to permit employees and contractors to bring loaded firearms to work in vehicles is blatantly irresponsible."

Gun owners are also fighting back, boycotting companies that ban guns or fire workers for having them."