pommy, a well-balanced post...isn't it a shame that ordinary citizens even have to think about protecting themselves against armed nutters? in an ideal world...
It's the threat of guns that keeps would-be criminals at bay because there's the nagging suspicion in the back of their mind, this person may have a gun and they may use it on me. So it makes gun crimes, especially home break-ins less likely.
Contrary to what gun control advocates would have us believe, the ordinary citizen is not dying to shoot someone breaking into their home. Most would only do it as a last resort because the legal implications are just too great and they really don't want to be involved in something like that.
Basically, people would like to know that in the event they felt their life was genuinely at risk, they had some recourse for their own defense.
Dee - if Tiberius or KG were in the neighbourhood, i'd want to be armed to the teeth..
Yanky - that's kind of how i'm starting to see it too..
Although it must be added that the handgun ban in Australia seems to be working. There must be another factor in the UK.
I'm interested to know where your figures on gun crime in the States originate from in the post above. The FBI seems to believe that of the 16,692 murders in 2005 that 68% were carried out with firearms. Sources:
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/
of...hrtable_06.html
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/
of...r_homicide.html
Sciscitor
Yes, the FBI data shows 11,000 gun murders in 2005. I will dig out my source showing 6,500.
Sciscitor
Your data seems to be correct. I think from memory that i subtracted the number of murders committed in self-defence from the 11,000, which reduces the number to 9,200.
Commenting by HaloScan
