British Gun Crime up 242 Percent; Post Says 'Laws Seen As Curbing Attacks'

NewsBusters, Washingon Post ^ | 4/24/07 | Ken Shepherd

[AT7Saluki]

This morning, NewsBusters contributing editor Dan Gainor brought this Washington Post article to my attention:

"Britain's Gun Laws Seen as Curbing Attacks"

But the problem is that while anti-gun activists recited those talking points in Post foreign service correspondent Mary Jordan's April 24 story, the empirical evidence shows otherwise.

The number of crimes in which a handgun was used in England and Wales has risen from 299 in 1995 to 1,024 last year. Offenses committed with all types of firearms, including air guns, have also increased.

That's an increase of 725 gun crimes in 11 years, a 242 percent increase.

[archy]

But “The gun-murder rate in America is more than 30 times that of England and Wales”

Yeah, well just how many whales even have guns?

[Mr. Lucky]

Google on “Why Britain needs More Guns” for an interesting article from the BBC website.

[UKrepublican]

Well here’s some statistics on that matter:

Gun deaths per 100,000 population (1999):

GB: 0.12
US: 4.08

[UKrepublican]

No, not self serving, just the facts:

The following data were provided in Parliamentary Answers during 2004:

Number of deaths from firearms injury - United Kingdom, 1994 to 2003

1994
341

1995
358

1996
254

1997
201

1998
203

1999
210

2000
204

2001
167

2002
169

2003
163

[Publius6961]

Gun deaths per 100,000 population (1999):

GB: 0.12
US: 4.08

Please look up the meaning of "sophistry".
A reasonable comparison would be total murders by whatever means.

I would not like to be murdered but, if inevitable, would prefer a gun to a large knife.

Just saying.

[El Laton Caliente]

Following links from the post....

http://www.crimestatistics.org.uk/output/Page40.asp

Homicides

The real increase is in total violent crimes... look around the site.

[Publius6961]

Irrelevant and meaningless.

Murder by Country

The honest meaningful ratio is 3:1, not quite the hysterical figures you quote.

I would add the relevant additional factors involved, but doubt that you have the intellectual horsepower to understand them.

[UKrepublican]

Why should it be restricted to murders? Gun related crimes and death by guns is a reasonable comparison.

[britemp]

‘A reasonable comparison would be total murders by whatever means.’

OK.

Murders per 1000 people US 0.042802 UK 0.0140633
Murders with firearms per 1000 people US 0.0279271 UK 0.00102579
Average total murders with firearms per annum US 8259 UK 62
Average total murders US 12658 UK 850
Based on populations of 300m US and 60m UK

QED - people get murdered a lot less in the UK versus US and a great, great deal less with guns.

But they are different countries and cultures. The figures are no more an argument for gun control in the US than they are for wider gun ownership in the UK. Each country needs to find it’s own best solution.

[litehaus]

Carl Rowan-——Lib hypocritter from the past blast!

[UKrepublican]

“DEFINITION: Total recorded intentional homicides,”

That’s a completely different discussion.

As for your insults, it only goes to show how desperate you are.

I confronted you with the relevant facts, you moved the goalposts.

[Phantom Lord]

The past two years have seen a fall in handgun crime.

valid point. But I have a question. What happened with gun crimes committed with a handgun in the years since the gun ban, up until two years ago?

[VeniVidiVici]

Well here’s some statistics on that matter: Gun deaths per 100,000 population (1999): GB: 0.12 US: 4.08

Doesn't matter to me. Our crooks and bad guys are killing each other. Your's just breed more.

Fact is your crime rate has sky rocketed when guns were banned. And *that's* what matters.

[UKrepublican]

Actually my FRiend, crime has fallen over here, as my stats showed, deaths from gun crime have fallen massively since the 90s. That’s beyond dispute, it’s a fact.

Look, I’m not a liberal anti gun nut, I’m not proposing anything other than a sincere look at the gun culture and laws that operate in the United States. That much is owed to those poor folks that lost their lives last week.

Some might say the answer is more guns, but I just don’t see it that way.

[Publius6961]

Why should it be restricted to murders? Gun related crimes and death by guns is a reasonable comparison.

We shall agree to disagree.

Losing my life is relevant.
How is immaterial.

Being able to prevent my murder or that of my family by having a firearm is most relevant of all...

[UKrepublican]

“Being able to prevent my murder or that of my family by having a firearm is most relevant of all...”

I would never want you to have that right taken away.

It works well enough for the Swiss after all.

[Publius6961]

Look, I’m not a liberal anti gun nut, I’m not proposing anything other than a sincere look at the gun culture and laws that operate in the United States. That much is owed to those poor folks that lost their lives last week.

Just reconcile that statement with the reality that there has never been a mass killing when one of the potential victims had a firearm.

[Publius6961]

QED - people get murdered a lot less in the UK versus US and a great, great deal less with guns.

Hello?

Using your figures, the US has 5 times the population and only 3 times the murder rate per thousand.

As one who understands both maths and statistics, I only need ask you if you can understand that.

How those murders are carried out is totally irrelevant to the victims; or to me.

[TC Rider]

Where are the guns coming from?

Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. The ones we can't unload in NYC are boxed up and sent to the UK.

/s

[UKrepublican]

Sure but also ask yourself why America holds the monopoly on these school/college tragedies.