Britain Needs Guns - Gun Myths Page 1

Gun Myths Page 1

More guns will inevitably lead to more crime and violence.

The situation that has developed in the United States seems to disprove this myth.

More than 40 US states now have "concealed carry" laws in place.

Concealed carry allows people to carry concealed handguns in public for protection, provided they meet conditions such as no convictions for violent crimes. It works by acting as a deterrent because the bad guys know that some people are armed, but they have no idea who those people are.

As the number of US states that allow concealed carry has increased and the number of permit holders has continued to grow, the US violent crime rate has steadily declined.

There are now more than 6 million permits holders throughout the United States, and more guns has actually meant LESS crime in the United States. The rate at which crime has dropped over the past twenty years is staggering.

For example, rapes in the United States declined by 34 percent between 1991 and 2010, robberies declined by 56 percent between 1991 and 2010 and the burglary rate dropped by 44 percent during the same period.

Overall, violent crime dropped by more than 46 percent between 1991 and 2010 and this has occurred despite (or maybe because of) rising gun sales and the relaxation of gun laws throughout the country.

The most interesting fact is that the US murder rate has declined by a rate of 51 percent since 1991 and is now the lowest it's been for more than 25 years.

I believe that this is clear proof that allowing people to be armed does not increase crime rates, and may actually contribute to a reduction in violent crime.

If concealed carry works in the United States, I see no reason why it wouldn't work here in Britain as well.

(Source - FBI - 1990 - 2010 Crime Statistics )

(Source - Gun Ownership Rises, While Violent Crime Drops ) (PDF File)

(Source - 2nd Amendment Foundation - December 2009) (PDF File)

(Source - Interview with Author John R Lott Jr ) (PDF File)

If the good guys have weapons, then the criminals will have them.

There is a popular (although unfounded) argument that if you arm yourself for personal protection, then the criminals will also arm themselves to meet any potential threat.

If a criminal decides to attack someone knowing that he or she may be armed, then he's clearly not worried about being killed. Somebody this fearless isn't going to worry about facing a murder charge either, is he ?

As a general rule, criminals tend to go for easy targets that pose little or no threat to them. They may be scum, but they are also rational and quite rightly fear being killed. If just a quarter of burglars decide that’s it’s not worth being killed over a television, then logic dictates that you’ll see a 25 percent reduction in burglary.

The same logic applies to other crimes, such as murder, assault and robbery.

People will use guns to resolve their disputes.

The 'concealed carry' system in the US has proven to be a remarkable success, with very few permit holders being convicted of any type of crime involving the use of handguns. I see no reason why that wouldn't be the case here.

People said that the road rage shootings would happen on a daily basis and other trivial incidents would end in fatal shootings. These warnings have proven to be completely unfounded, as crime and violence actually went down.

Disputes between law-abiding people very rarely end in any kind of violence because the overwhelming majority of people prefer to avoid confrontation where possible.

What's far more likely to happen is that people will become more polite, so as to avoid an angry confrontation with another armed citizen.

This forms the basis of the saying that "An armed society is a polite society".

(Source - Florida Division Of Licensing)

(Source - Texas Dept Of Public Safety - 2002 to 2007 Conviction Rates)

Armed violence in Britain has decreased since gun laws were toughened.

Sadly, the opposite of this has proven to be true. The use of firearms in violent crime has risen by a huge amount since since the late 1960's.

The true test of gun control lies not with what's happening miles away, but with what's happening on our own doorstep. I asked for the statistics for gun crime from 1969 to 2009 from the Home Office, which are provided below.

The figures show a massive increase in firearms offences in the last 40 years.

There were 717 offences with guns recorded by police in 1969.

By 2006, that figure had increased to 11,088 crimes.

That's an increase of more than 1,446 percent in just 37 years.

The figures since 2006 appear to have dropped slightly, but they are still much higher then they ever were in the 1980's or 1990's. Even the government's desperate attempts to fiddle the crime statistics can't hide a massive increase in gun violence over the past four decades.

The official figures show that since the handgun ban came into effect, there has not been a single year in which handgun related crimes have dropped below pre-ban levels or even come close.

Restricting firearms has lead to an INCREASE in gun crime and not a decrease, and since the handgun ban firearm-related violence had become a serious and growing concern in the UK.

(Source - Firearms Offences Recorded By Police 1969 - 2009)

Banning gun ownership leads to lower crime and murder rates.

Ciudad Juarez is a city of around 1.5 million people in Mexico, a country with very strict gun laws. There were 3,000 murders in Juarez in 2010, which gives the city a murder rate of 200 killings per 100,000 residents, more than 38 times the US average.

435 miles away is Phoenix, a city in Arizona, USA that also has a population of 1.5 million residents. Phoenix has very relaxed gun laws, as no permit or licence is required to carry a concealed handgun. This also applies to the rest of Arizona.

In 2009, Phoenix had around 124 murders, which gives the city a homicide rate that is a fraction of that of Cuidad Juarez.

The murder rate in Phoenix has dropped by more than 50 percent since 1999.

Criminals in Juarez (such as members of organized drugs cartels) can kill safe in the knowledge that their victims have no way of defending themselves. The same cannot be said in Arizona, where gun ownership is very high.

Crime is higher in Mexico and lower in Phoenix simply because disarmed and defenceless citizens make a criminal's job easier.

(Source - CNN News - December 15th 2010) (PDF File)

(Source - Phoenix Police Department Crime Statistics) (PDF File)

(Source - A Practical Guide To Mexico Gun Laws For Americans) (PDF File)


Home Our Proposals View The Petitions My Personal Thoughts Gun Myths Page 1 Gun Myths Page 2 Guns And Tyranny America's Gun Deaths Multiple Victim Shootings Gun Control Quotes Pro Gun Websites Gun Control Videos Reports And Articles How You Can Help Contact Me	Gun Myths Page 1 More guns will inevitably lead to more crime and violence. The situation that has developed in the United States seems to disprove this myth. More than 40 US states now have "concealed carry" laws in place. Concealed carry allows people to carry concealed handguns in public for protection, provided they meet conditions such as no convictions for violent crimes. It works by acting as a deterrent because the bad guys know that some people are armed, but they have no idea who those people are. As the number of US states that allow concealed carry has increased and the number of permit holders has continued to grow, the US violent crime rate has steadily declined. There are now more than 6 million permits holders throughout the United States, and more guns has actually meant LESS crime in the United States. The rate at which crime has dropped over the past twenty years is staggering. For example, rapes in the United States declined by 34 percent between 1991 and 2010, robberies declined by 56 percent between 1991 and 2010 and the burglary rate dropped by 44 percent during the same period. Overall, violent crime dropped by more than 46 percent between 1991 and 2010 and this has occurred despite (or maybe because of) rising gun sales and the relaxation of gun laws throughout the country. The most interesting fact is that the US murder rate has declined by a rate of 51 percent since 1991 and is now the lowest it's been for more than 25 years. I believe that this is clear proof that allowing people to be armed does not increase crime rates, and may actually contribute to a reduction in violent crime. If concealed carry works in the United States, I see no reason why it wouldn't work here in Britain as well. (Source - FBI - 1990 - 2010 Crime Statistics ) (Source - Gun Ownership Rises, While Violent Crime Drops ) (PDF File) (Source - 2nd Amendment Foundation - December 2009) (PDF File) (Source - Interview with Author John R Lott Jr ) (PDF File) If the good guys have weapons, then the criminals will have them. There is a popular (although unfounded) argument that if you arm yourself for personal protection, then the criminals will also arm themselves to meet any potential threat. If a criminal decides to attack someone knowing that he or she may be armed, then he's clearly not worried about being killed. Somebody this fearless isn't going to worry about facing a murder charge either, is he ? As a general rule, criminals tend to go for easy targets that pose little or no threat to them. They may be scum, but they are also rational and quite rightly fear being killed. If just a quarter of burglars decide that’s it’s not worth being killed over a television, then logic dictates that you’ll see a 25 percent reduction in burglary. The same logic applies to other crimes, such as murder, assault and robbery. People will use guns to resolve their disputes. The 'concealed carry' system in the US has proven to be a remarkable success, with very few permit holders being convicted of any type of crime involving the use of handguns. I see no reason why that wouldn't be the case here. People said that the road rage shootings would happen on a daily basis and other trivial incidents would end in fatal shootings. These warnings have proven to be completely unfounded, as crime and violence actually went down. Disputes between law-abiding people very rarely end in any kind of violence because the overwhelming majority of people prefer to avoid confrontation where possible. What's far more likely to happen is that people will become more polite, so as to avoid an angry confrontation with another armed citizen. This forms the basis of the saying that "An armed society is a polite society". (Source - Florida Division Of Licensing) (Source - Texas Dept Of Public Safety - 2002 to 2007 Conviction Rates) Armed violence in Britain has decreased since gun laws were toughened. Sadly, the opposite of this has proven to be true. The use of firearms in violent crime has risen by a huge amount since since the late 1960's. The true test of gun control lies not with what's happening miles away, but with what's happening on our own doorstep. I asked for the statistics for gun crime from 1969 to 2009 from the Home Office, which are provided below. The figures show a massive increase in firearms offences in the last 40 years. There were 717 offences with guns recorded by police in 1969. By 2006, that figure had increased to 11,088 crimes. That's an increase of more than 1,446 percent in just 37 years. The figures since 2006 appear to have dropped slightly, but they are still much higher then they ever were in the 1980's or 1990's. Even the government's desperate attempts to fiddle the crime statistics can't hide a massive increase in gun violence over the past four decades. The official figures show that since the handgun ban came into effect, there has not been a single year in which handgun related crimes have dropped below pre-ban levels or even come close. Restricting firearms has lead to an INCREASE in gun crime and not a decrease, and since the handgun ban firearm-related violence had become a serious and growing concern in the UK. (Source - Firearms Offences Recorded By Police 1969 - 2009) Banning gun ownership leads to lower crime and murder rates. Ciudad Juarez is a city of around 1.5 million people in Mexico, a country with very strict gun laws. There were 3,000 murders in Juarez in 2010, which gives the city a murder rate of 200 killings per 100,000 residents, more than 38 times the US average. 435 miles away is Phoenix, a city in Arizona, USA that also has a population of 1.5 million residents. Phoenix has very relaxed gun laws, as no permit or licence is required to carry a concealed handgun. This also applies to the rest of Arizona. In 2009, Phoenix had around 124 murders, which gives the city a homicide rate that is a fraction of that of Cuidad Juarez. The murder rate in Phoenix has dropped by more than 50 percent since 1999. Criminals in Juarez (such as members of organized drugs cartels) can kill safe in the knowledge that their victims have no way of defending themselves. The same cannot be said in Arizona, where gun ownership is very high. Crime is higher in Mexico and lower in Phoenix simply because disarmed and defenceless citizens make a criminal's job easier. (Source - CNN News - December 15th 2010) (PDF File) (Source - Phoenix Police Department Crime Statistics) (PDF File) (Source - A Practical Guide To Mexico Gun Laws For Americans) (PDF File)
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