John Lott: An Elaborate Hoax by a Gun Control Organization

The School That Wasn't There

By Dr. John Lott

I drove 950 miles to give a commencement address. It was an elaborate hoax by a gun control organization.

On May 14, I received a call from a man who identified himself as Jordan Simon, board chairman of James Madison Academy, a Las Vegas-based online high school with 2,000 graduating students. Mr. Simon told me students and faculty had picked me to be their commencement speaker.

I looked up the school and found a professional website (JamesMadisonAcademy.net no longer exists) featuring photos of smiling students and detailed descriptions of the school and teachers.

Mr. Simon offered to cover my travel expenses and pay a small honorarium. Since there were no direct flights from Missoula, Mont., where I live, and Las Vegas, he even offered to charter a plane to fly me down. That seemed excessive, so I drove. I wanted to save the school money and visit friends in Idaho on the way.

Here is the story of the elaborate hoax by a gun control organization. If I had done this to a gun control organization, where I refused to release the original video, I suspect that the media would have reacted very differently... [more...]