According to this blogger, the champions of statistical integrity who've been attacking John Lott believe guns are some sort of evil phallic symbol. (Link via Instapundit.)

Numbers and statistics must be getting awfully boring!

The anti-gun number crunchers also seem to believe that among the crimes caused by guns is the theft of guns themselves by criminals (More guns = more gun theft):

By some estimates 1.5 million guns are stolen every year, which means that anything that increases gun ownership (and carrying a la Sean Penn) is likely to put more guns into the hands of criminals.

This reminds me of the stubborn belief that condoms cause STDs, because their very presence encourages sex. Like guns, condoms are believed to be possessed of an evil animus. This justifies not only lying about their effectiveness, but asserting that they actually spread AIDS. Nicholas Kristoff has called this "junk science" -- which it is. I wish Kristoff could apply his condom logic to guns, just as I wish some of the firearm enthusiasts would apply their gun logic to penises. But, well, ours is not a perfect world.

I don't know how my readers feel, but the presence of a condom no more makes me want to screw someone than the presence of a gun makes me want to shoot someone.

However, if you are getting depressed, you should keep in mind yet another valuable statistic: condoms cause depression!

UPDATE: Da, Tovarish....