The benefits of strict gun control....

[bandit_TX]

<p>[FOXNews.com</a> - Knife Crackdown in Britain After 16 Teens Slain; Some Say Stabbing ‘in Fashion’ -](<a href=“http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,364022,00.html]FOXNews.com”>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,364022,00.html)</p>

<p>

LONDON — A recent spate of teen stabbing deaths have sparked fears of a knife crime “epidemic” among Britain’s young, and spurred the government to announce tougher penalties for teens caught carrying a blade.

</p>

<p>

“Carrying a knife is completely unacceptable,” Prime Minister Gordon Brown said this week, announcing an end to Britain’s system of issuing warnings to some teenagers caught with knives. “Young people need to understand that carrying knives doesn’t protect you, it does the opposite — it increases the danger for all of us, destroys young lives and ruins families,”

</p>

<p>Sound familiar?</p>

[1of42]

<p>Of course it sounds familiar. Since when has anyone said that guns are the only weapons used? The difference between a gun and a knife in terms of danger is vast, though.</p>

[ucsd_ucla_dad]

<p>^^ Not to these victims.</p>

[Chedva]

<p>I’ve never heard of a drive-by stabbing.</p>

[my_0.02]

<p>2008, Tokyo

TOKYO (Reuters) - As many as five people might have died and at least 9 more were wounded after a man went on a knife rampage through Tokyo’s popular electronics district on Sunday, Japanese media reported.

<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-japan-stabbing.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-japan-stabbing.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>A 2005 knife control call

A&E doctors are calling for a ban on long pointed kitchen knives to reduce deaths from stabbing.</p>

<p>A team from West Middlesex University Hospital said violent crime is on the increase - and kitchen knives are used in as many as half of all stabbings.

[BBC</a> NEWS | Health | Doctors’ kitchen knives ban call](<a href=“http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4581871.stm]BBC”>BBC NEWS | Health | Doctors' kitchen knives ban call)</p>

[b_r_um]

<p>

Just another observation in a year? Not entirely so, for an estimated 1000 people die of gun violence around the world everyday while there are as many as three times the number of people injured. According to an IANSA study, 250 deaths occur in a war or armed conflict while the remainder is homicides (56%), suicides (14%) and unintentional gun deaths.

[Time</a> to stop the bullets, kill the gun? :: KanglaOnline ~ Your Gateway](<a href=“http://www.kanglaonline.com/index.php?template=headline&newsid=1873&typeid=0]Time”>http://www.kanglaonline.com/index.php?template=headline&newsid=1873&typeid=0)</p>

[Mr_Payne]

<p>Guns don’t affect the underlying crime rate that much, IMO. They do affect the murder rate pretty significantly though.</p>

[emeraldkity4]

<p>How many people accidentally stab themselves to death?
[A</a> few pointers on gun safety](<a href=“http://www.the-signal.com/news/article/2170/]A”>http://www.the-signal.com/news/article/2170/)</p>

<p>

One study analyzed recent statistics released by the Center for Disease Control and RAND Corporation, which stated that more than 148,000 people have been killed by a firearm in America between 2000 and 2005. Among those deaths included approximately 14,500 children and teens.</p>

<p>Schuster added that 55 percent of children in the United States live in homes with at least one firearm in an unlocked place, and 43 percent had unlocked firearms.</p>

<p>“More than 4.7 million homes with more than 8.3 million children store firearms unlocked, including about 946,000 homes with firearms unlocked and loaded and about 425,000 homes with firearms unlocked, unloaded, and with ammunition,” Schuster said. “Many firearms are stored in a manner that increases the chances of a child’s gaining access to a firearm and discharging it.”

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[parent2noles]

<p>It appears at least some Brits regret strict gun control: </p>

<p>*The failure of this general disarmament to stem, or even slow, armed and violent crime could not be more blatant. According to a recent UN study, England and Wales have the highest crime rate and worst record for “very serious” offences of the 18 industrial countries surveyed.</p>

<p>But would allowing law-abiding people to “have arms for their defence”, as the 1689 English Bill of Rights promised, increase violence? Would Britain be following America’s bad example?</p>

<p>Cowboy
The ‘wild west’ image is out of date
Old stereotypes die hard and the vision of Britain as a peaceable kingdom, America as “the wild west culture on the other side of the Atlantic” is out of date. It is true that in contrast to Britain’s tight gun restrictions, half of American households have firearms, and 33 states now permit law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons.</p>

<p>But despite, or because, of this, violent crime in America has been plummeting for 10 consecutive years, even as British violence has been rising. By 1995 English rates of violent crime were already far higher than America’s for every major violent crime except murder and rape.</p>

<p>You are now six times more likely to be mugged in London than New York. Why? Because as common law appreciated, not only does an armed individual have the ability to protect himself or herself but criminals are less likely to attack them. They help keep the peace. A study found American burglars fear armed home-owners more than the police. As a result burglaries are much rarer and only 13% occur when people are at home, in contrast to 53% in England. *</p>

<p>See: [BBC</a> NEWS | UK | Why Britain needs more guns](<a href=“http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2656875.stm]BBC”>BBC NEWS | UK | Why Britain needs more guns)</p>

[emeraldkity4]

<p>By 1995 English rates of violent crime were already far higher than America’s for every major violent crime except murder and rape</p>

<p>** Except murder and rape**</p>

<p>just details I suppose.</p>

[afruff23]

<p>

How many people accidentally stab themselves to death?

</p>

<p>Not many I suppose. But consider an alternative to gun control and hiding a gun: keeping the gun in a known place and teaching your kids about gun safety. If you keep your gun in a place hidden from your kids, then it would be hard to access the gun when needed. You just can’t rely on your kids on not finding a gun; you have to teach them safety.</p>

<p>

It appears at least some Brits regret strict gun control:

</p>

<p>Yeah, but they’re using completely irrelevant statistics to justify their positions. How do you know the decrease in violence in one place and increase in violence in another place is because of gun control? You can’t. The only solid case to make for no gun control is a logical one. But I doubt logic and reason are good enough for gun-grabbers so I’ll save that argument for later.</p>

[emeraldkity4]

<p>you have to teach them safety.</p>

<p>Of course, but do a search for how many police officers kids have accidentally shot themselves or others.
Kids don’t always do as instructed :rolleyes:
[and</a> neither do adults](<a href=“News Conference on Death of Officer Fox – NBC10 Philadelphia”>News Conference on Death of Officer Fox – NBC10 Philadelphia)</p>

<p>( and gun owners, even responsible ones slip up- our neighbor had several guns stolen from his house but he doesnt even know when it happened)</p>

[afruff23]

<p>

Kids don’t always do as instructed

</p>

<p>Well that’s your problem right there. You don’t instruct kids (implying forcing them to learn). You teach kids. If you “instruct” a kid, he/she is going to be passive aggressive when they follow your commands. The last thing you want is someone using a gun to be rebellious.</p>

<p>Also, how do you know the police officers ever bothered to teach their children about gun safety?</p>