I just turned on CNN...

[crowdog66]

THIS is why gun control is a GOOD idea, people

Thanks to nightdog_barks for the pointer.

Comments

[silverjackal.livejournal.com]

Actually the United States has more violent crime, and a much higher rate of deliberate homicide involving firearms than other first world nations.

Using the numbers available from The United Nations Survey on Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (1998 - 2000) (you can download the spreadsheet yourself to check the numbers, here's a comparison of the U. S. figures to a random selection of other first world nations:

Australia:
1998: 54 homicides; 0.28 per 100K(pop)
1999: 62 homicides; 0.33 per 100K
2000: 59 homicides; 0.31 per 100K

Canada:
1998: 151 homicides; 0.50 per 100K(pop)
1999: 165 homicides; 0.54 per 100K
2000: no information

United States:
1998: 9257 homicides; 3.37 per 100K(pop)
1999: 8259 homicides; 2.97 per 100K
2000: no information

England and Wales:
1998: 49 homicides; 0.09 per 100K(pop)
1999: 62 homicides; 0.12 per 100K
2000: no information

Germany:
1998: 402 homicides; 0.49 per 100K(pop)
1999: 414 homicides; 0.50 per 100K
2000: 384 homicides; 0.467 per 100K

Adjusted for population the U. S. *still* has more firearm related homicide -- and this doesn't cover the the unintentional injuries and homicides. While it's true that a certain amount of homicide always happens, and that other weapons will be used if firearms aren't available, the number of people in the general population who have sidearms makes the commission of such crime easier. School children, for example, aren't going to have the means to acquire weapons if they can't steal them from family members or friends.

While I believe that gun control *isn't* the answer (it's expensive and ineffective), I don't pretend to have a better solution.

[sammelsadvocate.livejournal.com]

Take away guns, knife crime will go up. Look at Stabmonton.

It's human nature. And besides, a number of lunatics (Read Serial Killers) still perfer the use of a knife to a gun.

Anything can be utilized as a weapon. Humans are resourseful little bastards.

[silverjackal.livejournal.com]

You can't massacre a large number of people quickly with a knife. You also can't threaten and control as many people, because they only need to get out of arm's reach to be out of the assailant's power. There's also a certain psychology involved -- many who wouldn't hesitate to wield a gun would be too squeamish to use a knife, and they also risk their victim fighting back. There's also the fact that knives, frying pans, or what-have-you used in impulsive crimes are less likely to inflict lethal damage than a gun.

I know that gun control doesn't work -- that's a well established fact. It doesn't address the larger cultural issue that seems to invoke higher rates of firearm related violence in the United States. And my point was it *is* a higher rate, not merely a figment of a larger population base. I don't have numbers to hand for the last 5 years, and the numbers have come down somewhat, but they're still more than twice that of other developed nations in general. Why is that? (I'm not talking about extreme cases like this recent massacre, or serial killers, or the other extremes which can happen anywhere. By that I mean that average homicides are more likely to involve a firearm.) I don't have an answer -- I don't think anyone does, or they would be able to work out a solution. While it's not a root cause, the fact that so many of the general population are armed, though, is certainly a contributing factor.