by I got a LinkedIn notice yesterday telling me that Dr. John Lott had taken a position with the US Department of Justice. He is now the Senior Advisor for Research and Statistics. Unfortunately, as Dr. Lott noted to me when I congratulated him on the new position, it is a political appointment which will end when President Trump leaves office in January.
According to an article posted this morning in Yahoo News, Dr. Lott will be working in the Office of Justice Programs which is responsible for administering $5 billion annually in grants to states, police departments, and non-profits.
The article there is a repost from Politico. The headline referred to him as “controversial gun advocate”. Jeez!
Dr. Lott left the Crime Prevention Research Center on October 12th to take the DOJ job according to CPRC Executive Director Nikki Goeser.
Lott’s role as president of CPRC was turned over earlier this month to Andrew Pollack, who emerged as a prominent pro-gun voice after his 18-year-old daughter Meadow was killed in the shooting rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., in 2018.
Pollack did not respond to requests for comment, but CPRC Executive Director Nikki Goeser said the group’s pro-gun advocacy will continue.
“Since Dr. Lott left the CPRC on October 12th, much about the CPRC will remain unchanged,” Goeser told POLITICO by email.
“Research projects that we have been conducting are continuing: on the percent of gun ownership across different countries as well as our regular reports on things such as the number of concealed handgun permits, keeping track of what would have been mass public shootings that were stopped by concealed handgun permit holders will continue, keeping track of states that allow people to carry handguns at state capitols will continue, and similarly for state rules on letting teachers carry guns,” she added.