The Overlord
Superhero
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- Mar 10, 2002
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There are so many factors that go into a crime rate that cross comparing countries is ridiculous. If this is the route you wish to go, then explain why the UK, Mexico, South Africa and Brazil have a higher overall violent crime rate when they have extremely strict gun laws? It's more telling to look at trends before and after the passing of legislation, which has been the focus of my argument.
Same goes with the trends I discussed. When handguns were banned from DC, they experienced a ridiculous increase in violent crime and murder rates. That has only declined since the repeal of their ban. Coincidence or not, the areas with the most strict gun control laws within the USA have not had in any way, shape, or form any reduction in crime because of it. Chicago and Washington DC are two of the most dangerous places in the country and make up a significant portion of the overall violent crime rate - until recently it was virtually impossible to own a handgun in both areas. Vermont has allowed anybody legally allowed to own a handgun to carry one without a license. Vermont consistently has a very low crime rate.
Answer this question for me, and I will continue to ask it until I get one. If less than 1% of legal gun owners commit a violent crime with their gun, and less than 0.1% is committed by CCW holders, then what good would limitations on legal gun owners do to the overall violent crime rate when a vast majority of guns used in crimes are smuggled in from other countries? (most recent study indicated that a small percentage of guns used in crimes were stolen from legal gun owners).
Why has the US experienced a significant decline in overall crime rates despite a loosening of gun laws and an increase in gun ownership?
Why should another assault weapons ban be introduced when the last one did nothing to prevent violent crime? (not one academic study claimed that it did, and plenty claimed it did nothing).
Why do countless other countries and areas that enact strict gun control experience an increase in violent crime? (UK, Australia, Brazil, South Africa, Washington DC, Chicago etc.) while the passage of CCW laws in many states resulted in a serious reduction of violent crime?
Why has every mass shooting with the exception 2 resulting in the deaths of 4 people or more in the past 50 years taken place in "gun free zones?" Shouldn't these laws be doing something?
Or is it that criminals don't give a flying **** about laws and do as they please?
Right wingers don't oppose having the government act, it's on how they act. They don't want the government encroaching on aspects that they don't need to encroach on - with issues of mental health and school security, that is a different story.
And yet when states need to balance their books, how often do mental health programs get the shaft?
You haven't answer my question, if your premise is stricter gun laws lead to more crime, then why does the US have a way higher crime rate then Canada?
Comparing the US to the Mexico or Brazil is just silly, those are developing countries, not first world Western democracies. I am sure the US has less gun violence then a narco state, but who should the US be comparing itself it to, other Western democracies or narco states?
Also if we compare the stats in terms of violent crime, the US has a higher crime rate then the UK:
http://www.nationmaster.com/compare/United-Kingdom/United-States/Crime
So yeah, the UK has higher rate on some crimes, but violent crimes in terms of deaths by youths and gun violence is way higher in the US. So why is that?