John Lott Jr.: Easy to Get Handgun Permit in Washington State

It is relatively easy to get a handgun permit in Washington state, where a student opened fire at a high school Friday, killing at least one person and wounding four students before killing himself, firearms expert John Lott Jr., tells Newsmax TV.

The bloodbath at Marysville-Pilchuck High School, north of Seattle, ended when the suspected assailant fatally shot himself, authorities said. One student told CNN the gunman was a popular student who had been the victim of bullying.

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"All the states to at least some degree allow concealed carry, but Washington State is one of the 42 which would be classified as right to carry, so it's relatively easy to get a concealed handgun permit," Lott said Friday on Newsmax's the "Steve Malzberg Show."

"The problem is that there are gun free zones and one of those places that people aren't allowed [with guns] are schools."

Lott, an economist and author the book, "More Guns Less Crime," published by University of Chicago Press, shootings at public schools "are more common than I think they have to be."

But, he added: "If you look over time, it's actually been declining the number of attacks over the last 2 1/2 decades and the number of people killed from these attacks."

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