(18 July 2012, 19:43)Skvez Wrote: To play devils advocate:
Murders per capita are much higher in the US than in the UK, Germany, New Zealand, Japan.
Now either Americans are just more homicidal or easy access to guns increases the murder rate.
Guns don't 'even the playing field', rather than threaten the old lady with violence and take her handbag the mugger shoots her from behind in case she has a gun on her and then steals her handbag. The possibility that she has a gun increases her risk of being killed by an attacker.
Drunken arguments without guns usually end in a black eye and a few missing teeth where the same argument with armed individuals results in someone getting shot, which is much more often fatal.
Population is also much higher in the U.S, so violent crime can be expected to rise proportionally. Also gangs, poverty, lack of positive male role models etc lead to violent armed crime. In the UK, guns are easily available. If you live in areas like Glasgow, Manchester or Brixton and put it out on the grapevine you are after a Mac10 you can get one for a bout £200. If you really wanted to you could easily make a 9mm smg, albeit unrifled, with access to a tube stockist, some basic metalworking tools and the internet.
Unless the mugger has prior knowledge of the fact the old lady has a gun, he wouldn't know to change his strategy. I would, and I'm sure most people would rather have a means of self defense in that scenario than hoping the mugger doesn't harm you because you are defenseless. Gun ownership comes with a few other responsibility's like situational awareness, i.e being aware of what is around you.
Citation needed on that last point. Drunken fist fights frequently end in death or paralysis, not the typical hollywood ending where you stagger away with a bruised lip.
Search
Calendar
Help
