Lizotte grew up in
Grand Junction, Colorado, where he later recalled almost everyone he knew owning a gun. He served in the
United States Navy from July 1966 to January 1970. His service included one tour on the
USS Jouett in the
Vietnam War, and one-and-a-half tours in the Inshore Undersea Warfare Group One, Unit 2, on land; he attained the rank of
Second Class Petty Officer as a
radioman before being discharged. He later received his bachelor's degree in
sociology from
Brown University in 1974, followed by a M.A. (1976) and Ph.D. (1979) from the
University of Illinois, also in sociology. As a grad student at the University of Illinois, he shared an office with
Gary Kleck. ==Career==