Fox News: Intl. Gun Control Failures

[liljohn]

Article on Fox News web site:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,120638,00.html

 

[Cool Hand Luke 22:36]

— Crime did not fall in England after handguns were banned in January 1997. Quite the contrary, crime rose sharply. Yet, serious violent crime rates from 1997 to 2002 averaged 29 percent higher than 1996; robbery was 24 percent higher; murders 27 percent higher. Before the law, armed robberies had fallen by 50 percent from 1993 to 1997, but as soon as handguns were banned, the robbery rate shot back up, almost back to their 1993 levels.

— Australia has also seen its violent crime rates soar after its Port Arthur gun control measures (search) in late 1996. Violent crime rates averaged 32 per cent higher in the six years after the law was passed (from 1997 to 2002) than they did the year before the law in 1996. The same comparisons for armed robbery rates showed increases of 45 percent.

— The 2000 International Crime Victimization Survey, the most recent survey done, shows that the violent crime rate in England and Australia was twice the rate in the US.

Two thoughts:

1. People get the government they deserve in a democracy. Whether it's the UK, Australia, New Jersey or any other victim disarmament zone.

2. I'd like to know why the murder rate in the US is so high, when we do so much better in virtually all other catagories of violent crime. Time to get past the war on drugs?

 

[Raistlin]

High U.S. murder rate: probably too many interlocking factors to easily consider, but it certainly doesn't help for so many in this country to be afraid of the "great equalizer", and for those who have the courage to use a gun in self-defense to be slowly roasted by local prosecutors with an agenda.

Getting off the soapbox before I start foaming at the mouth...

 

[Jim V]

Omiting the centers of great populations the murder rate per 1,000 in the US is much better than pre-ban England's was.

There are many factors in why the murder rates are highest in centers of populations, i.e. cities but private firearm owner???? is not one of them.

 

[Baba Louie]

2. I'd like to know why the murder rate in the US is so high, when we do so much better in virtually all other catagories of violent crime. Time to get past the war on drugs?

Factor out the angry young gangbanging drug dealing types and you'll probably find that the US murder rate drops down to tolerable levels for a nation of 290,000,000 people with 200,000,000 guns and some semblance of freedom... so maybe, just maybe, if the war on some drugs was over (somehow) and drugs were legalized and taxed (interstate commerce/sin tax/whatever)... young gangbanging drug dealing types would come up with something else to kill each other about.
Criminals with evil intent and Crimes of passion will always be present (re: Serpent in Garden v. Tree of Knowledge & Cain v. Able).

I for one, am impressed with the fact that our murder rate is so low overall. As I grow older and more curmudgeon-like, the cynic in me feels that there are a lot of people walking around that don't contribute anything positive to this world and are, in fact, a big sucking negative drain on society.

So it's probably a Good Thing I'm not in charge, lest I do something evil and stupid and eliminate all the negative, lost, evil souls who prey on the good or the weak... ya know? State sponsered murder is frowned upon in some circles.

 

[MuzzleBlast]

2. I'd like to know why the murder rate in the US is so high, when we do so much better in virtually all other catagories of violent crime. Time to get past the war on drugs?

(Pre-emptive strike: The following is STATISTICAL FACT, not racism.)

If you look at the numbers, something jumps out at you: A demographic group that comprises about 6% or less of the US population accounts for nearly half of all murders, both killers and murder victims. This greatly skews the murder stats for the US as a whole.

 

[Sodbuster]

Already under discussion at

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=83219