By Tony Vega
"An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life." - Robert A. Heinlein, American novelist and former liberal
The English are perceived to be the leaders of etiquette and masters of a polite society. Quite often, too often, it is American chic to consider our neighbors in the UK a model to emulate. Perhaps, to the American ear the English tone represents a higher intellect.
This is not to denigrate our UK neighbors, but rather to encourage our American citizens to assess by fact and not by fad. The trail blazing UK held the distinction of having the toughest firearm restrictions of any democracy and their 1997 handgun ban became the "gold standard" of gun control.
How has that UK gun ban been working?
- In the four years from 1997 to 2001, the rate of violent crime more than doubled.
- Your chances of being mugged in London are now six times greater than in New York.
- England's rates of assault, robbery, and burglary are far higher than America's.
- 53 percent of English burglaries occur while occupants are at home, compared with 13 percent in the U.S., where burglars admit to fearing armed homeowners more than the police.
Gun crime in London is increasing so rapidly that police fear they may not have the resources to cope. In a 2001 BBC report, officers stated there had been a 100% increase in firearms-related crime in the capital. [2]
"When Seconds Count, the police are minutes away."- Viral Internet quote
Northern Ireland [home of the IRA] is the only part of the British Isles where significant numbers of civilians are granted permits to carry a concealed handgun for self-defense. According to the International Crime Victim Survey released in August ’01, Northern Ireland had one of the lowest levels of victimization of any of the 15 industrialized countries studied and England had the highest. [3]
To be fair to our English neighbors, 2007 crime stats show a leveling off of overall gun crimes, despite an increase in homicide. [4] Publicizing gun crimes, however, is becoming a bone of contention among UK officials.
After a high profile shooting death of an 11-year old boy, the UK Shadow Home Secretary, noted the huge increase in gun crimes since the ban and claimed the ministers were putting out "misleading and inaccurate figures." [5]
Jack Straw, the UK Justice Secretary, admitted the increase in gun-related incidents, but cited an overall drop in crime crediting the government's efforts. David Cameron, Tory leader, accused Mr. Straw of "self satisfied comments" and "complacency." Cameron also accused ministers of spinning statistics. [5]
With the exception of gun-related deaths, 2008 UK crime stats show a significant rise in gun crimes, the biggest since 2004. [6] The overall picture since the UK gun ban clearly shows that gun control is not crime control and only serves to empower the criminal and inhibit the liberty of her people.
A Church of England vicar had this to say, "It seems as if we have slipped into some bizarre parallel universe where the basic rules about the way human beings communicate have been suspended. What can we say or do? We feel so powerless. "We need to ask hard questions about a kind of society that makes possible such a callous disregard of human life." [5]
By adopting a radical gun ban, the UK abandoned the principles of their own 1689 Bill of Rights calling for the citizenry to "have arms for their defence." The abandoning of such principles is not a practice that a Freedom loving nation desiring the safety, pursuit of happiness, liberty, and justice for all should emulate.
Remember folks, it is the law abiding that abides the law. The bad guys will not comply with gun laws and will remain armed. So what is the purpose of any nation stripping her people from the right of self-defense?
"No freeman shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government"- Thomas Jefferson
What my dear Freemen and women are you willing to give up in the name of progressive ideology?
Resources:
1. Gun Control's Twisted Outcome: Restricting firearms has helped make England more crime-ridden than the U.S. - Reason Magazine
2. BBC News | UK | Police fears over rising gun crime
3. http://dvc.org.uk/dunblane/dbpolicy.pdf
4. BBC NEWS | UK | Analysis: UK gun crime figures
5. Another arrest as Croxteth pays tribute to Rhys | UK news | The Guardian
6. 28 gun crimes committed in UK every day - Telegraph
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