[Old Teufel Hunden]

"I dont think I ever actually ascribed to a “morally superior position of saying that crime isn’t as bad in Britain”,"

I didn't mean this statement to be against you as an individual, but more or less people that believe this in general. To be sure, they don't put it this way, but they believe that societies such as Britian are safer and better because of handgun bans.

"Violent crime in Britain isn’t as bad because criminals beat people to death rather than shoot them, it isnt as bad because there is simply less of it (although we are catching you up)."

Actually stats don't exactly bear this out. For one thing, the way each country reports crime is a little different. For instance, shootings such as suicides and justified killings (such as someone being killed while trying to burglarize a home) are reported as violent crime stats. A suicide has nothing to do with the tool you use. It's more cultural. Japan has a very strict handgun but a high suicide rate. Switzerland on the other hand has very high gun ownership but low suicide rates.

If we in the U.S. reported crime stats the same way Britian does we would be very similar per capita in commission of crimes. Personally, I believe that when these gun bans in large cities start falling by the wayside, we will have less crime than Britian. John Lott's research has proved this out. In the cities with the strictest gun control is where the crime is highest. In the majority of these cities, I believe the relaxed gun control measures that are going to be forced on them is either going to have no effect or reduce crime with the net impact of less crime throughout America.

[Vanders9]

“I didn’t mean this statement to be against you as an individual, but more or less people that believe this in general. To be sure, they don’t put it this way, but they believe that societies such as Britian are safer and better because of handgun bans.”

Its a cause and effect disconnect. Britain has low murder/fatal violence rates. Britain also has strict gun control laws. Therefore the one MUST be because of the other. Well, no not neccesarily. Strict gun control does have some effect, but I personally don’t think its anywhere near as significant as is commonly believed by my compatriots. Like you I believe crime is primarily cultural. And of course, that culture is changing.

“Personally, I believe that when these gun bans in large cities start falling by the wayside, we will have less crime than Britian. John Lott’s research has proved this out. In the cities with the strictest gun control is where the crime is highest. In the majority of these cities, I believe the relaxed gun control measures that are going to be forced on them is either going to have no effect or reduce crime with the net impact of less crime throughout America.”

I would suspect that if gun controls are relaxed in these very violent cities you will actually see a significant increase in deaths by violence, AT FIRST. What will be happening there is a change of culture, and that takes time. Of course, such an increase will be immediately siezed upon as evidence of failure of the measure, but I concur, in time I think you would see a fall in violent crime (or at least no net increase).