The Truth with Lisa Boothe: Is America Facing an Era of Political Violence and Assassinations? (with John Lott)
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
Episode: The Truth with Lisa Boothe
Date: September 23, 2025
Guest: John Lott, President of the Crime Prevention Research Center
Episode Overview
In this episode, Lisa Boothe sits down with John Lott—renowned academic and president of the Crime Prevention Research Center—to confront the increasing anxiety around political violence and assassinations in America. After the high-profile assassination of Charlie Kirk, the country is in mourning and speculating about a new era of politically driven attacks. Lisa and John dive into the facts behind these events: the ideological leanings of attackers, the reality behind commonly cited data, the role of mental health and gun-free zones in mass shootings, and whether biases in media coverage are distorting the truth.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Assassination of Charlie Kirk and Escalating Political Violence
- Lisa Boothe expresses deep sadness over Kirk's death, calling it evidence of “so much evil in the world,” and notes the profound effect it’s had on national discourse.
"It really has led to this conversation that people are having about concerns of just like assassination culture and political violence in the country." (03:57)
John Lott’s View:
- The response from figures like former President Obama after Kirk's assassination is seen as divisive and misleading.
"[Obama] just repeats these horrible lies about Charlie... It's either true or it's not true. He's not saying everybody who's black or a black woman is stupid... Are we going to have a society based on merit?" (05:27–07:22) - Discusses a broader trend: media and left-leaning figures often ascribe guilt to the right without sufficient evidence, sometimes mischaracterizing the political leanings or motives of attackers.
2. Disputing Data: Who Really Commits Political Violence?
Anti-Defamation League Reporting
- Lisa Boothe: Media and advocacy groups “seize on” annual reports claiming all extremist murders in recent years are perpetrated by right-wingers. (08:59)
- John Lott: Dismantles the ADL’s definition and classification approach:
- Shooters such as the Nashville attacker (trans, writing anti-Christian manifestos) and Colorado Springs nightclub shooter (trans, personal grievances) are classified as right-wing despite clear leftist identifiers.
- Some "white supremacists" in the database are radical environmentalists, not conservatives (e.g., Buffalo shooter)—showing a lack of nuance in data.
- The New Zealand and El Paso shooters expressed socialist sympathies, not traditionally right-wing views.
Recent Left-Wing Violence
-
Highlights three left-wing individuals with ongoing court appearances for attempted or actual high-profile political assassinations (Tyler Robinson, Luigi Mangione, and Ryan Ruth).
“That's three left wingers who do not share our views on the world, all with court activity around the same exact time period.” (13:45) -
Right is often the scapegoat for violence, but actual incidents (including a recent attempted mass shooting at ABC Sacramento by an anti-Trump shooter) fit a different pattern.
3. Comparison of Judicial and Media Response
- John Lott: Argues that right-wing violence is punished more severely and is less common compared to left-wing violence after headline attacks.
- Notes the lack of prosecutions for leftist riot violence (Lafayette Square 2020, 2017 inauguration, Republican National Convention) compared to extensive imprisonment for January 6th participants. "How many prosecutions did they have for people that did that? Zero." (16:12)
4. Transgender-Related Violence and Mass Shootings
- With Tyler Robinson’s assassination of Charlie Kirk and related circumstances, Lisa queries whether trans individuals are increasingly represented among perpetrators. (18:34)
- John Lott:
- About 5% of mass public shootings (2018–present) are committed by trans individuals, substantially higher than their population share. “Their share of these attacks is about seven times their share of the population.” (19:19)
- Trans shooters and others often share characteristics: suicidal ideation, feelings of being marginalized, and desire for media attention.
- Mass shooters actively select "gun-free zones" to maximize casualties and fame.
5. The Role of Gun-Free Zones
- Lisa Boothe: Asks what percentage of mass shootings occur in these zones. (23:12)
- John Lott:
- “About 92% of [mass public shootings] do.” (23:17)
- Shooters often explicitly note they pick gun-free locations for high body counts and media visibility.
- Cites manifestos where shooters study prior attacks, intentionally avoiding armed venues.
Notable Quote:
“Holmes wanted to make sure his victims would be unarmed. That’s why I and many others like schools so much.” (Shooter’s words, presented by John Lott, 24:46)
- Differences in outcomes between schools that allow armed staff and those that don’t are ignored by media.
6. Mental Health and Mass Shootings
- Lisa Boothe: Over half of mass shooters were under mental health care, so why aren’t they identified as threats? (32:34)
- John Lott:
- Mental health professionals rarely flag individuals as dangerous; statistically, people with issues are less violent than average.
- Most mass shooters are adept at deceiving mental health checks. Example: Buffalo and Santa Barbara murderers were cleared after claiming their threats were jokes.
- The rarity and unpredictability of these events make prediction nearly impossible.
Notable Quote:
“They may be crazy, but they’re not stupid.” (John Lott, 36:23)
- Shooters relish outsmarting the system, as confessed in manifestos.
Antidepressants (SSRIs) and Shootings
- John Lott dismisses claims (including Robert Kennedy’s) that SSRIs are a primary cause:
- No comprehensive data; privacy laws limit access.
- In cases cited, medication changes or starts are “short-lived” triggers, but shooters usually plan months or years ahead.
- Focus should be on limiting casualties, not solely identification and prevention.
7. Policy Prescriptions and the Media
- Mental health screening is insufficient as prevention.
- Solution: Remove “gun-free zone” signs and allow (or publicize) armed staff.
- Over 10,000 U.S. schools have armed staff; no shootings have occurred where this is the case.
- On resource officers: Uniformed officers should be covert to avoid giving tactical advantage to attackers.
- “If you put the air marshal in the uniform and... a terrorist… who do you think the terrorist is going to take out first?”
8. Is There a “Gun Problem” in America?
- Lisa Boothe: Does America have a gun problem as the left claims? (51:59)
- John Lott:
- America’s mass shooting rate is not the world’s highest; adjusted for population, the U.S. ranks about 65th.
- Major shootings (e.g., Oslo, Paris concert) occurred in Europe with far greater casualties.
Notable Quote:
"No media outlet's going to compare the number of murders in California with Rhode Island. They're going to look at the per capita rates... But for some reason they refuse to do that [for mass shootings internationally]." (53:16)
Notable Quotes & Moments
-
On Obama’s reaction:
“It's just despicable, referring to Charlie as being sexist and what have you… he must understand the false claims that were being made.” — John Lott (07:34) -
On media bias:
“If you're a white supremacist, they assume that you're a right winger… There’s a number of white supremacists in their data set… that are environmentalists.” — John Lott (10:43) -
On shooter tactics:
“These mass public shooters… are suicidal… they go to places where they know their victims aren't going to be able to defend themselves—gun free zones.” — John Lott (20:53) -
On identifiability:
“These guys… may be crazy, but they're not stupid.” — John Lott (36:23)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Introductions & Theme Framing – 03:29
- Kirk assassination & political aftermath – 05:27
- ADL/extremist data skepticism – 09:13
- Recent left-wing court cases; media coverage – 13:45
- Comparing responses to political violence (Jan 6 vs. leftist riots) – 14:34
- Transgender violence statistics – 19:19
- Shooters’ manifestos & gun-free zones – 23:17
- School shootings and officer tactics – 24:46
- Mental health professionals: failures and limitations – 32:43
- SSRI medication and shooters – 37:52
- Policy suggestions: school security, arming staff – 45:40
- Is America’s “gun problem” unique? – 51:59
- Wrap-up and where to learn more – 54:56
Conclusion
Lisa Boothe and John Lott deliver a thorough, data-driven challenge to the prevailing media narratives around political violence and mass shootings in America. The discussion critiques misleading data classifications, emphasizes overlooked factors like gun-free zones, and presents evidence that mass public shooters are not easily identified before their acts, often exploiting policy weaknesses. Lott’s central contention is that more restrictions (“gun-free zones”) don’t stop violence, but better preparedness (armed staff) and honest data assessment might.
For more information: Visit John Lott’s research at crimeresearch.org
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