National Rifle Association: UK Mayhem Leaves Disarmed Citizens at the Mercy of Criminals

From the NRA:

By now you have seen the headlines and images of destruction: the rioting, looting, violent assaults, and arson.

London and other UK cities look like war zones and their citizens are afraid to venture out, because the danger is very real.

It’s a view of the temporary breakdown of society. It is gut check time; a time when the concept of being able to defend oneself gives way to the stark reality that few viable options to do so exist. Read more

Associated Press Notes UK gangs thrive in August riots

British gun control is held up as the standard by the American mainstream media, but this weekend the Associated Press noted that the larger gangs in UK, which are increasingly becoming a problem still obtain firearms. The story noted:

“The starkest difference between British and American gangs is the firepower. In gun-control Britain, only the bigger gangs make firearms — smuggled in with drugs shipments from Holland, North Africa and the Caribbean — their weapon of choice. For U.K. teenage apprentices and wannabes, the knife is still king.”

Now many in the American MSM might say that the British gun control laws therefore work, if ONLY the biggest gangs can get guns. But this says to use that if guns are smuggled into Britain, then it is likely if America adopts stricter gun control policies the gangs here will also just smuggle in guns as they do in the UK.

But let’s also examine the fact that gun control isn’t the same as “crime control” as the story also notes:

“Most of the more than 5,000 stabbings a year in Britain, according police and social workers, are gangs attacking rivals who strayed into their areas, muscled into their rackets, or simply insulted them.”

This passage suggests that again it is a crime problem NOT a gun problem. And as the recent violence has shown the UK is becoming a nation where the law-abiding are unarmed whilst the criminals are increasingly becoming armed to the hilt!

British Police Seize Guns in London

Time and time and time again the American mainstream media tries to suggest that the British have less gun crime because of extremely strict gun laws. This seems to be the case, at least until it isn’t. So there is no surprise that the American media, which has covered the recent riots in the UK, is now silent on an interesting fact – namely that there was gun violence in those recent riots.

The Daily Star noted this weekend:

“GUNS were seized from a looting suspect’s house yesterday as it emerged police were shot at during the riots.”

So why isn’t fact this get reported in the American media? The fact that any guns are involved shows a flaw in the gun control stance in the UK. Consider that if one bad guy can get a gun, then that is more than a law abiding citizen might have, and one more than most police officers carry. This is a breakdown in the system, and clearly it could get worse.

Boston Globe Notes UK’s Tough Guns Save Lives… During the Recent Riots!

This week Ben Jacobs, staff writer for The Boston Globe tried to compare the Los Angeles riots from 1992 to the recent violence in London, noting that 53 people died in the United States, compared to four in the UK as of Wednesday afternoon.

Jacobs also noted that 35 people of the 53 in LA were killed by gunshot wounds. He actually notes that there was a “small silver lining,” suggesting that there has been little loss of life in the U.K. We’d like to know if the families and friends of the four dead would agree.

But the editorial also offers a greater thought on the matter:

“Unlike in the United States, the UK has strict gun licensing laws that rank among the toughest gun control laws in the world. Further, most British policemen do not carry firearms in the course of their duties and need special permission to do so. The result is that while many people have been beaten and demand for baseball bats for personal protection has gone through the roof in England, there’s only been minimal gun violence.”

Let’s examine this closer. There has been minimal gun violence, suggesting that there has been in fact GUN VIOLENCE. Is that any comfort to those caught in this violence? What if you are trying to defend your home from those wielding bats, would you really want to only have a bat to fight back with? And for the record we have to wonder how many are cricket bats as the riots are in London, not Los Angeles.

But as noted, there is gun violence. Do you want a bat – baseball or cricket – to defend yourself if the thugs are wielding guns?

Finally, gun crime has been on the rise in the UK, which suggests that the toughest gun control laws aren’t working as well as many would like.

Mirror UK Says You Can’t Trust Men With Guns

In an editorial for the Mirror UK, Paul Routledge offers the opinion that “gun crime is thankfully rare in Britain,” and adds that it is because of very tight laws. He further notes this choice statement:

“If we had Yankee-style ‘right to bear arms,’ there would be many more homicides and mass shootings.”

Is this even a fare statement? There are still homicides in the United Kingdom, and while there have been a few mass shootings in the United States, these actually don’t occur that often. More importantly, it is worth noting that the less high-profile cases of a person defending his home from a burglar or other invasion of property by violent criminals is hardly reported.

Firing Back: UK Has Strict Gun Laws, So Will Even Tighter Laws Do Anything?

The recently shooting spree by taxi driver Derrick Bird in Northern England has increased calls for even stricter gun laws in the U.K., but we must ask, if the gun laws are already among the strictest in Europe, isn’t this just more proof that bans don’t work?

Gun crime has been on the rise in parts of England, and while crime remains low, incidents such as the Cumbria shooting spree should be proof that criminals intent with doing bad things will be able to indeed do bad things! Trying to ban guns completely would be like closing all the bars because a few people drive drunk.

Guns Prevent Crimes, But Mainstream Media Fails to Pick up on Story

Kudos to John Wangsgaard who wrote to The Salt Lake City Tribune for bringing attention to what the rest of the mainstream media seems not to care about; that being that guns in the home can prevent crimes. He writes:

“In this country, even home invasions occur less frequently than in many other countries because criminals worry that the potential victim might be armed. According to www.dailymail.co.uk, the violent crime rate per 100,000 residents is much higher in the United Kingdom (2,034), Australia (1,677) and even Canada (935) than in the United States (466).”

350 Guns Linked to Crime… in Gun Unfriendly U.K.

Time and time again, the mainstream media in the United States points out that crime is lower in countries such as the United Kingdom because there are fewer guns. Then how is it in a land where possession of firearms is downright difficult at best, there are so many gun related crimes and figures making the British mainstream media? And why doesn’t the American mainstream media pick up on this story?

The reason that the American media doesn’t pick up on this is simple, because it goes against an easy comparison, where reporters can easily say, “there is less crime in the U.K. because there are less guns.” Obviously, the latest news goes contrary. And now gun crime in the U.K. is being more closely followed, reports the BBC:

“A firearms database has linked more than 350 guns with crimes in its first year of operation in England and Wales.”

Let’s just see if the American MSM bothers to report any of this!

The International View: Americans Buying Guns Out of Terrorist Fears

Here is a new one: Americans are increasingly buying guns out of fear of crime and terrorism. While there is no doubt that some cities have seen a sharp increase in crime because of the ongoing recession, the British Times Online is reporting that this is the primary motivation as to why we Yanks are actually so many guns. Apparently they haven’t been listing to the mainstream American media, which says it is all about Obama!

But the “terrorist spin” is a new one. Is it even remotely possible that Americans in the heartland, far from desirable and high profile targets are buying guns out of fear of terrorist attacks? That seems a stretch. Maybe there is a greater language barrier between the U.S. and the U.K. after all.