Top of the Fox News Website Covers Our Work on Mass Murderers Targeting Gun-free Zones

The top story on the Fox News website features an interview Dr. John Lott did on the Minneapolis and other mass murderers targeting gun-free zones.

John Lott, the founder and president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, told Fox News Digital about some of the top variables involved in such shootings, including killers seeking to gain as much media attention as possible by targeting areas where people are unarmed. 

“You read these manifestos and diaries. Over and over again, these guys know that they’re going to commit suicide,” Lott said. “They know or they believe they’re going to die. People have always wanted to commit suicide, but someplace along the line, people who felt unappreciated, who didn’t think people knew what a great person they were, or whatever, realized they could get national and international attention by killing lots of people.” 

The Minneapolis shooter committed suicide during the Wednesday morning rampage. 

“They know if they go to a place where their victims are defenseless, they’re going to be able to go and kill more people and get more media attention,” Lott said. “And so the thing to stop these attacks is to take away this notoriety that they can get.” 

Lott has long called for the obliteration of “gun-free zones,” and said the Trump administration has the opportunity to “harden” schools by removing such zones, as well as the signs designating them, which essentially advertise that no one inside a facility has a firearm. 

Instead, Lott said, schools and other common “soft targets” should install signs noting that select teachers and staff are armed with concealed weapons to protect students and others. . . .

Emma Colton, “What leads someone to commit a mass shooting? Trump admin, RFK Jr plan to find out,” Fox News, August 29, 2025.