(Not sure if this post goes here or in General Discussion, moderators can move it if they want.)

 

I've gotten so completely sick and tired of Piers Morgans' nightly rantings about gun control that I did a bit of quick research regarding his home country. In virtually every online or on-air discussion (or diatribe) about gun control, someone will cite to the fact that the murder rate in the US generally and the number of deaths involving firearms specifically is much higher than in the UK. I have yet to hear someone point out that, for most law abiding citizens, this statistic is meaningless. We all know that roughly 1/3 of US "gun deaths" are the result of suicide and virtually all of the rest are homicides (with a miniscule percentage being accidents). Most homicides involve criminals (aka sh*tbags) killing other criminals. 90% of crimes are committed by people who already have a criminal record (there is ample support for this, I don't have the statistics in front of me). For all of us non-criminals, it is the violent crime rate -- the number of robberies (including home invasions), burglaries, theft (eg pickpocketing, stolen cars and bikes, etc), assaults, and rape per 100,000 people -- that directly impacts us and our families. This is the relevant statistic that determines whether law abiding citizens can live in peace and safety or are terrorized on the streets and in their homes.

 

I went to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime website, a source no one can claim is biased towards gun ownership, to see how the US stacks up against the UK in terms of violent crime (each number is incidents per 100,000 of population, statistics for 2010, most recent available year):

 

Assaults:

 

US: 250.9

UK: 664.4

 

Robbery (forcible taking of property, including home invasions):

US: 115.3

UK: 137.9

 

Burglary (theft of property from a home not involving force):

US: 695.9

UK: 946.1

 

Theft (theft of non-motorvehicle property outside the home not involving force):

US: 1,993

UK: 2,574.5 [!!]

 

Conclusion: The UK, with its gun confiscation and virtual outlawing of self-defense, is a much, much more dangerous place than the US. A useful statistic that I'd like to see cited more often.

Most British "Journalists" also wont answer the question of why, if gun violence is SO rare in the UK, have their Police been issued Ballistic vests to replace the "Stab Vests" thet had been in use throughout the 1980's..and as the changeover happened WELL before 9-11 they cant try to use Terrorism as a crutch

Does Piers have a FB? Try to friend him or something and post it on his page [not sure if that is possible].

If Piers doesn't like it here in the US he has a wonderful option since it is so much better in the UK.

Thanks for this. I have a facebook "friend" who moved from the US to the UK and is vehemently anti-gun and occasionally drops references as to how they feel safer in the UK. Look forward to seeing their reaction to these stats.

 

PDM, can you provide the exact URL to these stats?

I really hate limeys that come here and think Europe is better. Or other European's as well. Go back if it's so much better there.

I think I read or once heard that in the US the FBI counts crimes involving kids in the U.S. figure whereas the UK figure excludes it. If this is true (and I am not positive it is), then the numbers would be even more staggering that the UK has a more violent crime rate.

I don't know why we even allow Brits to talk about US politics.

 

Great post though. Definitely a good argument for us.

Most British "Journalists" also wont answer the question of why, if gun violence is SO rare in the UK, have their Police been issued Ballistic vests to replace the "Stab Vests" thet had been in use throughout the 1980's..and as the changeover happened WELL before 9-11 they cant try to use Terrorism as a crutch

What British authorities hesitate in reporting is a influx of small arms from Poland and ex soviet bloc countries.Since the open borders of EC and Schengen member countries came about it has been their dirty little secret....