Each society has its own dangers. Americans pack heat. That means when arguments and disputes occur, they can often escalate into gunfire and death. That doesn't happen in the UK. So this goes some way to accounting for the difference in firearm related deaths.
However, there is another side to this coin. It is that the citizenry will never put up with crap like the escalating intifada in Europe, perpetrated by gangs of Muslim thugs, as witnessed recently in France and described in these incidents in Belgium. So yes, we have a price to pay for our firearm usage but in the world of evermore assertive Muslims and jihadists I think we'll find that we're in good shape.
Europeans in general look to the government to provide for them.....and that includes their personal security. That may have been fine in 1940 or 50 when a stern word from a bobby was sufficient to put the fear of God into a teenage tearaway but in the world of 2006, you will find and are already finding that this leaves you extremely vulnerable.
The law allows me to use reasonable force to apprehend a burglar. That means if he is armed I may shoot him in self-defence.
Is it really that simple? What say he is armed with a knife, attempts to stab you and grazes your hand, drawing a little blood and then you pull out your gun and blow him away. I'm thinking the fact that you were afraid for your life carries little weight with the police and a jury and you likely get to spend some time in the pokey for manslaughter or maybe even murder, no? He grazed your hand, you killed him. Uh oh. The term "reasonable force" has a very limited defintion in the UK, does it not?
'However, there is another side to this coin. It is that the citizenry will never put up with crap like the escalating intifada in Europe, perpetrated by gangs of Muslim thugs, as witnessed recently in France and described in these incidents in Belgium. So yes, we have a price to pay for our firearm usage but in the world of evermore assertive Muslims and jihadists I think we'll find that we're in good shape.'
Once again, I couldn't care less what the eurolosers do - I live in England, not euroland. In England muslims may not own handguns, in the US you freely allow them to. Hows that helping your cause when you have three times the muslims we do and they can all arm themselves to the teeth legally when the next mullah tells them to!
'That may have been fine in 1940 or 50 when a stern word from a bobby was sufficient to put the fear of God into a teenage tearaway but in the world of 2006, you will find and are already finding that this leaves you extremely vulnerable.'
Once again the figures don't bear this out. the US has more guns and has more violence and more murders per capita - many times more. It's you guys who think handguns can solve social problems who are vulnerable.
'The term "reasonable force" has a very limited defintion in the UK, does it not?'
The definition is very simple - I am allowed to use whatever force is necessary to protect my self right up to killing my assailant. If I am in no danger of being killed, I may not kill. If I confront a knife-wielding burglar with my rifle, I do not need to kill him unless he tries to stab me. If he runs away and i shoot him in the back like Tony Martin did, that is unreasonable force.