> the very atmosphere of firearms anywhere restrains evil interference
Any data on this, all data suggests that were there are more guns there are more deaths, apparently evil interferes can buy guns too.
But since 2006, gun sales have soared: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/01/05/9983727-fbi-firea...
"Purchases of handguns and rifles, which had held steady throughout the early part of the decade, began to surge in 2006 and have nearly doubled since then, according to FBI data."
So a doubling of gun sales coupled with a declining violent crime rate over a 5 year period should handily dispatch the notion that "more guns = more crime", correct?
Le me give you a different perspective on the matter. Free Speech means that you can be critical of the government. It also means that you can spout hatred against something you dislike [1].
I believe most people agree that criticizing your government is what free speech was meant for and not for attacking some harmless group. But to control one kind of speech is to control the other which is why it is not done. In essence, you cannot have it both ways. It is a necessary evil.
USA is the developed country with more Gunshot deaths per capita http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-...
UK 7 consecutive years with murder rate falls after stronger gun control, UK have more in common with USA than Jamaica or Ireland
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-s...
The percentage of the crimes committed with firearms in USA is way higer than the half of Colombia, a third world country with multiple armed guerrillas for more than 40 years.
"The latest Government figures show that the total number of firearm offences in England and Wales has increased from 5,209 in 1998/99 to 9,865 last year - a rise of 89 per cent.
In some parts of the country, the number of offences has increased more than five-fold."
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-s...
> In 2010/11, firearms were involved in 11,227 recorded offences in England and Wales, the seventh consecutive annual fall and a decrease of 13 per cent compared with the previous year (when 12,976 offences were recorded).
Also:
It is intellectually dishonest to include suicide when talking about "gun deaths."
The reason I think it's intellectually dishonest has nothing to do with suicide itself. When someone behind a keyboard or behind a news desk talks about gun-related deaths or gun violence, the image is of armed robberies, execution-style murder, and more recently the crazy white kid with the assault rifle. If you live in certain parts of the US you might think of gang violence.
It does not evoke a mental image of the divorced alcoholic ending his life with a revolver, or the undiagnosed depressed college student with his dad's handgun. These are two thirds of gun-related deaths, and they're cheapened when pundits and members of Congress use them to try and score political points.