Originally Posted by: Jimmi431ah you know im kinda glad i live in almost gun free england! i cant believe that anyone actually thinks a gun is a good form of protection, i mean what kind of area do you live in? is it kill or be killed? i was working in a late shop (convieniance store) that got armed robbed about every 2 months and the only thing i could think of that would make the situation worse would be for those behind the till to have guns. just think of the carnage. its insane!

this idea of having a permit that allows you to carry around a concealed weapon also seems to me to be insane! what you guys think of it? you all seem to be pro-gun but does havin them make you feel safe?[/quote]
Well, if you run the numbers, private ownership of guns does seem to discourage crime, as do concealed carry laws.

Put yourself in this situation: You are considering (for whatever reason) attacking or robbing someone. Are you more likely to actually do it if you think you'll get shot or less likely? Would not higher odds of being shot discourage you more than lower odds?

Before you venture into this debate, you would do well to read this report assessing Canada's gun registration laws. The author compares gun policies and violent crime rates in Canada, the UK, Australia and the US and bases his conclusions off of that. It's pretty dry -- a lot of boring numbers -- but they prove a lot of your assumptions wrong.

For instance, "almost gun free England" has had higher violent crime rates than the US since 1996.

Sure, you have a higher chance of being shot here, but violent crimes as a whole are less common here (and have been declining for the past 20 years) while violent crime rates (including gun crimes as a burgeoning black market for firearms is developing) are climbing in the UK.



[quote=Jimmi431]i can understand it for recreation i guess as it does look quite fun to be able to shoot at stuff but couldn't it be that guns are left safely locked up at a gun club or something similar.

Why the Hell would I want to lock my guns up at a gun club when I can safely go shooting in my back yard? Especially considering that Americans really should be conserving more fuel. Having to drive ten extra miles every time I feel like putting a few holes in paper strikes me as wasteful and imprudent.