Sunday, June 13, 2010

David Codrea asks a good question...

...here:

Why are 'researchers' using Ozzy Osbourne's ramblings to push for more 'gun control'?
If you read the column, you will see Codrea mentions an op-ed in the Washington Post from Philip Cook and Jens Ludwig. What's the significance of those names? I don't know if you remember my mention of them a few months back, but here it is:
...I am well aware of the John Lott controversy, but the thing is, his findings have been replicated by several other studies — some of which were undertaken by people who set out to prove him wrong. If I remember correctly, Florida State University criminologist Gary Kleck was one of those who set out to prove Lott wrong — instead, Kleck came out with a study that at least one of his fellow criminologists lauded as methodologically sound. And then we have the case of Duke professor Phillip Cook and Georgetown professor Jens Ludwig, who with a Clinton Justice Department grant undertook a study of their own as they along with the Clinton DoJ thought the Kleck DGU figure was too high...well, guess what? Their study produced about the same results as did Kleck's study, and in fact Cook and Ludwig conceded their methodology might have been too conservative and that Kleck's figure of 2.5 million defensive gun uses per year could very well be almost doubled, to 4.7 million defensive gun uses per year. Again, this was from researchers who got TAXPAYER MONEY to prove Kleck wrong....
So, to recap: Cook and Ludwig, the guys who basically said John Lott and Gary Kleck were lowballing annual defensive gun uses, took to the pages of the Washington Post peddling the same old tired, discredited arguments for gun control that they and their ilk have been peddling for the last 40-plus years. Now who are the bitter clingers, again?

And I will go on record as saying that I think Ozzy Osbourne is full of shit, even though I still love Black Sabbath.