Tucson Aftermath

Having noted that calls for gun control were sure to come out of the Tucson shooting, I looked at a little of the literature on the issue of whether guns lead to violent crime. Here are a few facts from the literature.

England, with the most restrictive gun control in industrial countries is often reputed to be very safe. Its restrictive ban on guns began after March 1996, after a deranged man walked into a school in Dunblane, Scotland and killed sixteen children and one teacher.

British politicians sought to reduce violent crime by enacting an injudicious ban on all handguns. Handgun owners were given a February 1998 deadline to turn in their firearms--and they did. What was the result?

"the incidence of gun crime in England and Wales nearly doubled from 13,874 in 1998 to 24,070 in 2003. And the incidence of firearms murder has risen 65 per cent.During the years 1890-92, only one handgun homicide a year in a population of 30 million. Violent crime has been climbing ever since 1954.
In the two years following the 1997 handgun ban, the use of handguns in crime rose by 40 percent.
From April to November 2001, the number of people robbed at gunpoint in London rose 53 percent.
From 1991 to 1995, crimes against the person in England's inner cities increased 91 percent.
From 1997 to 2001, the rate of violent crime more than doubled.
Chances of being mugged in London are now six times greater than in New York.
England's rates of assault, robbery, and burglary are far higher than America's, and 53 percent of English burglaries occur while occupants are at home, compared with 13 percent in the U.S.
United Nations found that England and Wales led the Western world's crime league, with nearly 55 crimes per 100 people.

Richard Edwards, Telegraph (London), July 2, 2009
Analysis of figures from the European Commission showed a 77 per cent increase in murders, robberies, assaults and sexual offences in the UK since Labour came to power.
The total number of violent offences recorded compared to population is higher than any other country in Europe, as well as America, Canada, Australia and South Africa.
there are over 2,000 crimes recorded per 100,000 population in the UK, making it the most violent place in Europe.
Austria is second, with a rate of 1,677 per 100,000 people, followed by Sweden, Belgium, Finland and Holland.
By comparison, America has an estimated rate of 466 violent crimes per 100,000 population.
France recorded 324,765 violent crimes in 2007—a 67 per cent increase in the past decade—at a rate of 504 per 100,000 population.

Switzerland has a population of six million, but there are estimated to be at least two million publicly-owned firearms, including about 600,000 automatic rifles and 500,000 pistols. This is in a very large part due to Switzerland's unique system of national defense, developed over the centuries. Instead of a standing, full-time army, the country requires every man to undergo some form of military training for a few days or weeks a year throughout most of their lives.In the UK, there are 2,034 offences per 100,000 people, way ahead of second-placed Austria with a rate of 1,677.
The U.S. has a violence rate of 466 crimes per 100,000 residents, Canada 935, Australia 92 and South Africa 1,609.