In 1997, a new gun act was applied in the U.K. forbidding the carrying on handguns etc. About 2,400 violent fire-arm homicides were noticed in that year. However, in fourteen years time, this number has increased to around -+ 11,000 killings in the U.K.
First of all, provide a source for your numbers.
Second of all, providing you with a source I can tell you there was only 41 people murdered by a firearm in 2009, here in England and Wales, and 5 in Northern Ireland, this is compared with 10300 in the United States in the same year.
http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/statistics/Homicide/Homicides_by_firearms.xls (http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/statistics/Homicide/Homicides_by_firearms.xls)
And to your question, no, I do not believe citizens should be allowed to carry weapons for the numbers provided above. It is extremely difficult to get hold of a gun both legally and illegal here, and I am glad it is that way.
I made a mistake - instead of killings - Firearms offences.
In the year Apr 2010 to Mar 2011 there were 11,227 recorded offences involving firearms, broken down as follows.
By weapon type:
Long-barrelled shotgun = 406
Sawn-off shotgun = 202
Handgun = 3,105
Rifle = 74
Imitation firearm = 1,610
Unidentified firearm = 957
Other firearm = 670
Air weapons = 4,203
If you would have followed the discussion on firearms in earlier topics, you would notice that there is a factor 10 difference in firearm deaths after correction for population.
This means a country where people are allowed to cary firearms freely causes 10 times more people to die as a country where this is not allowed.
A small price to pay for false feeling of personal safety ?
And yeah, Reece, I used http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics_in_the_United_Kingdom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics_in_the_United_Kingdom) for the above figures regarding the U.K.
A source which I trust but which, you are right, is unreliable.
@Reece:
What I am trying to state above is that after the use of guns was banned in 1997, the use of guns in crime rose in the United Kingdom.
SOURCE:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1440764.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1440764.stm)
So - would it be wise to ban guns in the U.S. aswell?
You shouldn't have made this topic.
Obviously some individuals here don't use their brains before posting.
If you want my say on it;
Hell no.
America has a shitload of citizens, and if everyone would have a gun it would be an uncontrollable chaos.
Don't give me that self protection bs either. Guns are only used for crime by civilians over there.
Why does every American want/need a gun? Theres self defence and theres patheticness, I'de rather go ninja style with a 5inch blade. :lol:
So you would use a 5 inch knife as self defence? That would be breaking the law if it was in public. :roll:
http://www.bkcg.co.uk/guide/law.html (http://www.bkcg.co.uk/guide/law.html)
My idea, on guns is that simple handguns and hunting rifles are fine to own as long as it is registered and is kept safely away from children and teens.
Gun Control.... when was the last time criminals followed laws? As Gandalf explained, attempting to control & confiscate firearms will NOT be pretty.Yes, give guns to the people who can cause even more damage with them.
The only way to properly 'control' guns is by the person that legally owns a firearm and is trained for it. Those you hear all the times in the news, about shootings, is done by the criminals and those who is ignorant on safety.
Ah, those who do not understand American law.
Yes, many agree there should be much stricter regulations on gun laws in our country, I being one of them. However the 2nd amendment is part of the bill of rights meaning that no law or alteration can be made to it that removes or hinders the rights unless deemed necessary for an individual (I.E Terrorist, Convicted Criminals). It is not a matter of can we, we can't. A few years ago Washington DC tried to ban handguns from the D.C area and the United States Supreme Court overruled the law and shot it down as it was "A violation of the bill of rights".
While its true the bill of rights were drafted and written in a period of time where automatic and even semi-automatic weapons were not around, and mass-shooting sprees were not a problem. Over the years many visions and ideas never before presented became affected by the change of the world. The ideals and motives behind the constitution were not suitable anymore, amendments had to be made. But these first 10, the bill of rights, can not be. This is the unfortunate part of the powerful system we have and sure many may criticize it, but it is aimed to protect the american citizen.
My idea, on guns is that simple handguns and hunting rifles are fine to own as long as it is registered and is kept safely away from children and teens. Semi automatic (AK,AR-15, ETC) should not be permitted UNLESS it is a private, indoor and secure gun club and can only be used on training targets and these weapons should remain locked within the property. This is the only legitimate purpose for them, you aren't going to hunt deer with a AR-15. Tactical Weapons/Full Auto weapons should be banned entirely other than for specialized law enforcement (I.E SWAT/F.B.I SWAT & HRT).
Yes, give guns to the people who can cause even more damage with them.
Yes, give tools to the people who can cause even more damage with them. (vehicles, construction tools, baseball bats, golf clubs, kitchen knives, etc).LOL, are you seriously comparing tools with firearms? :rofl:
LOL, are you seriously comparing tools with firearms? :rofl:
LOL, are you seriously comparing tools with firearms? :rofl:
A life saver or a life taker?
Last time I checked, the U.K doesn't have a country that smuggles in guns and drugs very easily. The problems are gangs, mostly formed by illegal immigrants(from Mexico) do the majority of U.S. crime. It is waaaaay to easy to smuggle guns, drugs, and even people over the border. This is why the US has such a high crime rate. So why you people in the UK soak up the sun, with few criminals running amongst the street, the Americans have something to worry about. And we can't even do anything about the borders.Just the idea that people in the UK are soaking up sun makes the whole rest invalid.... :lol:
Just the idea that people in the UK are soaking up sun makes the whole rest invalid.... :lol:Just a phrase. :cop:
It really comes down to the infamous quote, "Guns don't kill people, people kill people". This is the real truth, and the fact remains even with more stricter laws this will only prevent responsible people from owning a firearm, the black market is far to large to stop and getting a firearm is far to easy in the United States to gain control of it. I live in a state with one of the most relaxed gun laws in the country, and its even easier to gun a gun via black market than legally. If I had the money I know a place 5 minutes from where I live where I can get various types of weapons; automatic shotguns, AK-47s, a LAW, various non-lethal grenades + a grenade launcher and various others I wont mention since I don't want the ATF knocking on my door in the next few days xD.
My point is the statistics you present don't mention; the fact is only 1% to 5% of crimes committed using a gun are LEGALLY owned guns(range depends on source/year), the rest of them (94%~99%) are illegal firearms. This is a scary fact, considering the ease of getting this weapons illegally rather the process of getting them legally. While yes the most recent large-mass shooting was carried out by a person who obtained the weapons legally, its less common that portrayed by the media, which has secondary agendas. While I do agree this sick fk shouldn't have been able to purchase an AR-15, nor should any person be able to purchase assault rifles in the United States.