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The criminals in, for instance, the UK aren't really getting them anyway. At least not to the extent that someone in the US could obtain a gun illegally. The re

The criminals in, for instance, the UK aren't really getting them anyway. At least not to the extent that someone in the US could obtain a gun illegally. The reason that criminals in the US would be able to get them tomorrow if guns were outlawed today is because there are so many guns. And there are so many guns because production and sale has been legal and easy for so long. So while it's true that the short-term result of outlawing guns means that only criminals can get them (which is kind of a tautology), eventually, the ability to illegally acquire a firearm would get much more difficult, like it is in, for instance, the UK. That said, I do not support all firearms being outlawed. I think they should be heavily regulated and some should be entirely illegal, but mainly I'm disagreeing with the argument that I tend to hear so often.

maratd 14y ago
While the rate of crimes committed with a gun may be lower in the UK, violent crime as a whole is much higher. Five times higher than my home of NYC. You can easily attribute this to a lack of guns. If there's less of a chance being shot, you have a higher incentive to commit crime. http://wheelgun.blogspot.com/2007/01/crime-in-uk-versus-crime-in-us.html http://wheelgun.blogspot.com/2007/01/crime-in-uk-versus-crim...
- JabavuAdams 14y ago
  And yet the same is not true of Toronto, Canada. There are complex cultural issues at work -- it's not just about prevalence of gun ownership.
  - maratd 14y ago
    Crime in Toronto is fairly low. Gun control laws in Canada are similar to those in the US. I don't understand the point you're trying to make.
    - JabavuAdams 14y ago
      > Gun control laws in Canada are similar to those in the US Not true. It is illegal to use a firearm for self-defence in Canada -- pointing a firearm at another person is an offence under the Criminal Code. Except in the sketchiest of gang-infested neighbourhoods, one would not assume that urban home-owners would have guns, so there's no psychological deterrent there. Even the idea of using possibly lethal force to defend property is not really mainstream here.

maratd 14y ago

While the rate of crimes committed with a gun may be lower in the UK, violent crime as a whole is much higher. Five times higher than my home of NYC. You can easily attribute this to a lack of guns. If there's less of a chance being shot, you have a higher incentive to commit crime. http://wheelgun.blogspot.com/2007/01/crime-in-uk-versus-crime-in-us.html http://wheelgun.blogspot.com/2007/01/crime-in-uk-versus-crim...

JabavuAdams 14y ago
And yet the same is not true of Toronto, Canada. There are complex cultural issues at work -- it's not just about prevalence of gun ownership.
- maratd 14y ago
  Crime in Toronto is fairly low. Gun control laws in Canada are similar to those in the US. I don't understand the point you're trying to make.
  - JabavuAdams 14y ago
    > Gun control laws in Canada are similar to those in the US Not true. It is illegal to use a firearm for self-defence in Canada -- pointing a firearm at another person is an offence under the Criminal Code. Except in the sketchiest of gang-infested neighbourhoods, one would not assume that urban home-owners would have guns, so there's no psychological deterrent there. Even the idea of using possibly lethal force to defend property is not really mainstream here.