The gun culture in the USA is so deeply rooted I doubt if it can ever be eradicated. Gun ownersip is perceived as a fundamental right. With so many guns it's not surprising that there are 13 000 murders an astonishing number. In England and Wales around 700 persons were murdered in 2006. Even adjusting for population differences that would have beeen equivalent to around 4 000 murders if we had the usa population.
The right to gun ownership isn't just a perceived right Greendawn, it is guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the Constitution. The reason it was put there GD was because the founding fathers didn't trust the government they created and wanted to insure that the populace would be armed as a check on governmental power. Don't trust me on that, look it up for yourself.
There are few things that Criminal Justice experts can say for certain. One of those few things is that almost all violent criminals admit that if they are certain that a potential target is armed and willing to use that force, they will leave them alone! Thus the most significant reason for the rise in violent crime in the U.S. or anywhere is the disarming of the law-abiding public, period. And that doesn't just go for guns! It is just simple self-interest and preservation.
Take England. They were concerned with violent crime there. So, ideological judges started punishing those who defended themselves more severely than violent offenders. Violent crime went up when folks got the message that injuring somebody in the act of defending oneself would result in long jail terms. "Ah, but it must be the guns" the liberals said. So, Gun ownership was restricted and finally banned in most cases. And crime went up even more. Now guess what? They are going after knives over there. "What is the definition of insane?" asked a serial killer in the movie Con Air. "Doing the same thing which failed over and over again and expecting better results!" was his answer. Yet, that is what folks are doing over there in jolly old England!
The results are the same on this side of the pond. The highest violent crime, occurs in areas where personal weapons for self-defense, including but not limited to guns, are banned and people are penalized for defending themselves. The lowest violent crime rates occur in places where people are allowed to be armed and defend themselves. Time and again studies with any semblance of impartiality bear that out. That is why uber-liberal anti-gun researchers like Gary Kleck and others have reversed their long held positions against gun ownership after doing the research themselves. It is as simple as that.
And yet, we have a highly dedicated group over here who are trying to do what folks over in England are succeeding in doing despite all of the credible evidence against it. But them considering their firm belief that absolute government control over all aspects of the lives of our citizenry is the answer to everything, it isn't hard to see why they ignore the obvious.
I would rather stick with proven strategies than wishful thinking. We are terrorized by criminals here in many places because they have free reign and face an unarmed populace. Give us back our right to defend ourselves by whatever means is most appropriate, including guns and other arms, and violent crime will take a big nose dive and folks will be much safer. That is the best way to end the "terrorism" on the part of the criminal element here.
Forscher
