John Lott: Administration Trying to Push Gun Agenda by Scaring People

The Obama administration is frightening Americans about firearms to push its agenda for more restrictive gun laws, says John Lott Jr., president of the Crime Prevention Research Center.

Lott’s comment came after President Barack Obama issued an executive order that bans the importing of military grade surplus weapons sold or donated by the U.S. to its allies back into the country.

"The administration uses these loaded terms that scare people," Lott told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.

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"They talk about military weapons. I mean, who wants to have military weapons being re-imported back into the U.S. for civilian use? And yet, when you look at it, you realize that they're really just talking about old semi-automatic guns.

"These guns function absolutely no differently than any other semi-automatic hunting rifle that's there; file one bullet per pull of the trigger."

The White House says the government has authorized requests to re-import more than 250,000 of the firearms since 2005.

But Lott — author of, "At the Brink: Will Obama Push Us Over the Edge?" — said some of the firearms in dispute range back to World War II and the Korean War.

"These are a lot heavier, if anybody's actually held one of these. Over the last 60 years or so, gun makers have learned how to make guns a little but lighter," he said.

Lott’s non-profit organization is dedicated to advancing "the scientific understanding of the relationship between laws regulating the ownership or use of guns, crime, and public safety."

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