XPost: talk.politics.guns, uk.politics.guns, aus.politics.guns   
   From: murff@warlock.org   
      
   On Mon, 05 May 2014 06:08:40 +1000, Dechucka wrote:   
      
   >   
   > bad luck little kiddy your dead   
   >   
      
   It may well be that parts of the USA have too many guns and too little   
   responsibility in their use. The result is dead kids.   
      
   It is very definitely the case that parts of the UK have too many guns   
   and too little responsibility for their use. The absolute numbers are a   
   lot smaller than the USA - we've a smaller population and fewer guns. But   
   the effects are similar. They turn up in news reports regularly.   
      
   The typical victim is a teenager. Either they, or a family member or a   
   friend are involved with gangs. Or maybe they're not - maybe they're a   
   promising student or footballer who happened to catch a girl's eye... but   
   were unfortunate enough that said girl was the "property" of some gang   
   member. That exact situation, by the way, has been documented in more   
   than one murder case here over the past few years.   
      
   It doesn't happen just with guns. Knives, too. And broken bottles. And   
   petrol.   
      
   >> Bottom line, stay away from drugs and gangs and don't off yourself.   
   >   
   > great advice but irrelevant   
      
   Not irrelevant. Use the UK as an example: we have strict gun laws. Look   
   through who the victims are. They're not victims either of stray shots or   
   of yee-haw home defence by licenced firearms owners.   
      
   Now, it absolutely is not proven that a widely armed citizenry would be a   
   great improvement here. The crime rate is low and people generally feel   
   reasonably safe. But it is clear that the vast majority of the victims   
   are victims of crime which absolutely cannot be lain at the door of the   
   lawful guns owners here.   
      
   I think at least the lawful American gun owners ought to be given the   
   courtesy, if a case is being made that they are different, of the   
   evidence being presented openly. Preferrably in more than single lines of   
   comment nearly lost in the quotes.   
      
   --   
   Murff...   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)