--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But the fact is that it’s virtually…" description: "\"“But the fact is that it’s virtually impossible to stop criminals from obtaining the magazines they want. Magazines, large or small, are trivially easy..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/john-r-lott-jr-9603_amendment_but-the-fact-is-that-it-s-virtually-impo_1256188.png" --- # But the fact is that it’s virtually impossible to stop… ![“But the fact is that it’s virtually impossible to stop criminals from obtaining the magazines they want. Magazines, large or small, are trivially easy to make. They are just boxes with springs, and can be made with the most simple tools. The advent of 3D printers has made them even easier to make…” quote by John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/john-r-lott-jr-9603_amendment_but-the-fact-is-that-it-s-virtually-impo_1256188.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/john-r-lott-jr-9603_amendment_but-the-fact-is-that-it-s-virtually-impo_1256188.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/john-r-lott-jr-9603_amendment_but-the-fact-is-that-it-s-virtually-impo_1256188.png) > ““But the fact is that it’s virtually impossible to stop criminals from obtaining the magazines they want. Magazines, large or small, are trivially easy to make. They are just boxes with springs, and can be made with the most simple tools. The advent of 3D printers has made them even easier to make. There’s no evidence that crime rates were affected by the 1994 federal ban on magazines holding more than ten bullets. Even the left-leaning Urban Institute, with funding from the Bill Clinton administration, was unable to find any such evidence.”” [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that banning high‑capacity magazines is ineffective because they are easy to produce, especially with 3D printing, and no data shows a crime‑rate impact. **In simple terms:** Magazine bans don’t stop criminals because magazines are cheap and easy to copy. Key Takeaway Focus on evidence‑based policies rather than bans. Themes gun control policy effectiveness technology crime statistics Mood skeptical analytical Type policy argumentative When to use this quote - law enforcement - legislative debate - public health - technology regulation Key Concepts public policy criminal behavior manufacturing technology Questions to Reflect On - How can we measure the real effect of magazine bans? - What alternative measures could reduce gun violence? A Different Perspective Evidence for impact is lacking; bans may be symbolic rather than practical. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amendment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amendment/) ## Related quotes > [Embarrassingly for Obama, it appeared that his administration had jumped the gun on banning the bullets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/embarrassingly-for-obama-it-appeared-that-his-administration-had/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [How many more tragedies does it take before we do something? 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They believe that banning guns will somehow make them safer, as though laws are all we need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/unfortunately-many-controllists-suffer-from-magical-thinking-they/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [Our folks at the FBI are working their tails off every day to stop and find criminals, terrorists, and nation-state adversaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-a-wray/our-folks-at-the-fbi-are-working-their-tails-off-every-day-to-stop/) [Christopher A. 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Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“As to the “super destructive .50-caliber sniper rifle,” not only does the New York Times editorial get the law wrong, but it somehow neglects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/as-to-the-super-destructive-50-caliber-sniper-rifle-not-only-does-the/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“For all the emphasis on assault weapons, 68 percent of mass public shootings did not involve any long guns (Figure 2). Eighty-four percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/for-all-the-emphasis-on-assault-weapons-68-percent-of-mass-public/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) ## More by John R. Lott Jr > [“For all the emphasis on assault weapons, 68 percent of mass public shootings did not involve any long guns (Figure 2). Eighty-four percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/for-all-the-emphasis-on-assault-weapons-68-percent-of-mass-public/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“As to the “super destructive .50-caliber sniper rifle,” not only does the New York Times editorial get the law wrong, but it somehow neglects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/as-to-the-super-destructive-50-caliber-sniper-rifle-not-only-does-the/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“There is another real cost to linking gun violence with mental illness. Dr. Renee Binder, President of the American Psychiatric Association and herself a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/there-is-another-real-cost-to-linking-gun-violence-with-mental/) [John R. 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Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“3.​Background checks as de facto registration. It is not just other countries that use gun registries as a tool for mass confiscation. People in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/3-background-checks-as-de-facto-registration-it-is-not-just-other/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“Of course, the New York Times will never run a news article on studies that find that guns save lives. Even when they write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/of-course-the-new-york-times-will-never-run-a-news-article-on-studies/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“In my third edition of More Guns, Less Crime, I provided the first published, peer-reviewed, nationwide study on Stand Your Ground laws. I found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/in-my-third-edition-of-more-guns-less-crime-i-provided-the-first/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“The infamous 2015 Charleston, South Carolina church shooting was originally going to be a college shooting. But Dylann Roof changed plans after realizing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/the-infamous-2015-charleston-south-carolina-church-shooting-was/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“After the phone call from Daley, the University of Chicago presented me with my two termination options. I wrote back to Dean Fischel—whom I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/after-the-phone-call-from-daley-the-university-of-chicago-presented/) [John R. 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Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) > [“Democrats are unwilling to admit that their gun control regulations are disarming poor Americans. President Obama characterizes Voter ID laws that offer free IDs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lott-jr/democrats-are-unwilling-to-admit-that-their-gun-control-regulations/) [John R. Lott Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) [Explore all 71 John R. Lott Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lott-jr/) ## More Amendment quotes > [There are a lot of people who want to retain the Eighth Amendment - I don't agree with that view myself - there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-varadkar/there-are-a-lot-of-people-who-want-to-retain-the-eighth-amendment-i/) [Leo Varadkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-varadkar/) > [“Let's just make this easy. 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