Unwilling defenders of gun rights.(Insider Report)

Last December, the National Academy of Sciences, which operates under a congressional charter and describes itself as "Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine," released a 328-page report on gun-control laws entitled Firearms and Violence." A Critical Review. In its report "based on 253 journal articles, 99 books, 43 government publications, a survey that covered 80 different gun-control measures and some of its own empirical work, the panel couldn't identify a single gun-control regulation that reduced violent crime, suicide, or accidents," reported the December 29 New York Post.

But instead of bringing national attention to the pervasive lies and unjustified assertions of gun-control proponents, the Academy of Sciences discounted some of its own research, advocated measures opposed by gun owners, vilified gun owners, and misrepresented some of its data.

In short, the panel claimed (in the words of an Academy press release) that "the accuracy of responses in gun-use surveys ... has not been thoroughly investigated"--meaning that the Academy is discounting its own research. The Academy claimed that the government needed to obtain "extensive data on gun ownership and use" (essentially advocating gun registration initiatives--like those which preceded gun confiscation in England and Australia). The Academy further noted "that individuals--especially those who use guns illegally --will always be reluctant to disclose [gun] ownership information" ...