The Gun Control Battle (UPDATED)
MichaelW on Apr 24 2007 at 4:03 pm | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Foreign affairs, Libertarianism, Media, MichaelW's Page, social science
In the wake of the Va. Tech massacre, the long-standing debate on gun control and America’s perceived “gun culture” renews itself, and will most likely end in Congress “doing something” about the issue such as passing more useless laws to prevent criminals from breaking other laws. Why anyone expects to stop criminals from breaking new laws after they’ve shown complete indifference to one’s already in existence is beyond me. Of course, it’s not really much of a debate. Instead, it is a demonization of anyone who does not fall in line with our moral betters, who are content to smugly gaze down their noses at those hicks and gun nuts who are the real cause of murderous mayhem, while preaching the virtues of victimization and passivity in the face of treachery. (Read the comments to the links to get the full flavor). Arrogant eye-rolling abounds.
When tragic events such as what happened in Blacksburg occur, A good deal of tsk-tsking comes from moral superiors in Europe and elsewhere. Indeed, immediately following the shooting the preaching began:
Australia’s prime minister on Tuesday said the Virginia Tech shootings showed that America’s “gun culture” was a negative force in society, praising his country’s efforts to enact tough gun laws after a similar massacre 11 years ago.
John Howard staked his political leadership on pushing through the strict gun ownership laws after Martin John Bryant, armed with a bagful of automatic weapons, went on a killing spree in the tourist resort of Port Arthur in southern Tasmania state on April 28, 1996. Thirty-five people died.
[...]
“We had a terrible incident at Port Arthur, but it is the case that 11 years ago we took action to limit the availability of guns and we showed a national resolve that the gun culture that is such a negative in the United States would never become a negative in our country,” he said.
[...]
Experts say the laws have probably helped keep violent crime rates down, though gun ownership advocates say there is no proof the laws have made Australia safer.
And Gerard Baker queried in an editorial for the Times:
But why, we ask, do Americans continue to tolerate gun laws and a culture that seems to condemn thousands of innocents to death every year, when presumably, tougher restrictions, such as those in force in European countries, could at least reduce the number?
The idea that we are just a bunch of wahoos itching for a reason to shoot each other is quite pervasive:
While some focused blame only on the gunman, world opinion over U.S. gun laws was almost unanimous: Access to weapons increases the probability of shootings. There was no sympathy for the view that more guns would have saved lives by enabling students to shoot the assailant.
But there is hope, if we could just accept our flawed nature:
“I think if this does prompt a serious and reflective debate on gun issues and gun law in the States, then some good may come from this woeful tragedy,†said British Home Office Minister Tony McNulty, who graduated in 1982.
Britain’s 46 homicides involving firearms last year was the lowest since the late 1980s. New York City, with 8 million people compared to 53 million in England and Wales, recorded 590 homicides last year.
“If the guns are harder to get a hold of, fewer people will do it,†said Michael Dent, a 65-year-old construction worker in London. “You can’t walk up to a supermarket or shop and buy a gun like in the States.â€
A number of countries have adopted Mr. Dent’s philosophy on access to arms and passed laws prohibiting or severely restricting the ability to possess a firearm. The UK and Australia are two of the most recent places. Lets see how that worked out for them:
Statistics from the Australian Institute of Criminology.
Notice that the steepest climb in violent crime rates immediately followed Britain’s enacting a gun ban in 1997:
Handguns were outlawed in Britain in 1997 and some 160,000 were surrendered to police. Even Britain’s Olympic shooters fall under this ban, meaning the pistol-shooting team must train outside the country … A report by the Centre for Defence Studies at King’s College, London, last year found that illegal handguns were being used more frequently in crimes. The number involving firearms in England and Wales increased from 13,874 in 1998/99 to 21,521 in 2005/06.
Unfortunately, the debate over gun control does not involve facts, but emotions. Facts only serve to impede the crusade of those who insist that violence will cease if we simply pretend that it doesn’t exist. Banning even pretend weapons from being brandished will surely lead to a more peaceful society according to that line of thinking. Contrary to the fervent beliefs of the purveyors of such nonsense, reality does not conform to wishful thinking. Evil does exist, and bad people will exploit a weakness when presented with an opportunity. Does that mean we should all be armed at every moment? No. I don’t own a gun, and I never have. But, pretending that we can somehow breed out violence from society by showing our throat to the wolf is to be ignorant of history and of human nature itself. And certainly I don’t intend to sacrifice the safety of my family or myself for someone else’s moral vanity.
UPDATE: This morning’s Washington Post declared “Britain’s Gun Laws Seen as Curbing Attacks.” The problem? As you can see from the chart above, it’s just not true:
But the problem is that while anti-gun activists recited those talking points in Post foreign service correspondent Mary Jordan’s April 24 story, the empirical evidence shows otherwise.
The number of crimes in which a handgun was used in England and Wales has risen from 299 in 1995 to 1,024 last year. Offenses committed with all types of firearms, including air guns, have also increased.
That’s an increase of 725 gun crimes in 11 years, a 242 percent increase.
See also this chart from the Home Office of Crime Statistics for England and Wales:
Source: Research Development & Statistics (CRCSG) Home Office
* There were 1,220,198 recorded violent crimes in 2005/06, an increase of two per cent.
* Of these, 17 per cent were common assault (including assault on a constable) and 20 cent harassment, both of which involve no physical injury to the victim. In addition, many of the ‘less serious woundings’ (43 per cent of violent crime) will have resulted in minor injuries, such as bruises, grazes and black eyes.Understanding the chart
* Numbers of recorded crimes are affected by changes in reporting and recording practices. Expanded coverage and revised Counting Rules came into effect in April 1998. The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced nationally in April 2002. The national impact in 2002/03 was estimated to be 20% per cent for all violent crime.
* Data for the British Transport Police are included from 2002/03 onwards.
Technorati Tags: gun control, Va. Tech massacre, statistics, gun bans, violent crime rate, Europe, Australia
Sphere: Related Content2 Responses to “The Gun Control Battle (UPDATED)”
Trackback URI | Comments RSS
Yeah, I was strolling down the rifle aisle in my local Albertson’s just the other day.
‘Ignorant moron’ doesn’t even begin to cover people like Mr. Dent.
Heh. Yeah, I was going to say something about that, but I figured “Why should I have all the fun”