General Discussion

Jeff In Milwaukee

(13,992 posts)

37. A point that CANNOT be over-emphasized

Reply to muriel_volestrangler (Reply #4)

Wed Jan 30, 2013, 03:55 PM

Jan 2013

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the homicide rate for the United States was 4.8 per 100,000 population. That's for homicides of all types -- firearm, stabbing, etc. The homicide rate for the United Kingdom was 1.2 per 100,000 population. Our homicide rates are just about four times what they are in the UK.

So when some gun-lover tries to make the argument, "If you take guns away, people will just kill each other with knives or clubs" you can respond that it's simply not true. No western democracy has a higher homicide rate than the United States, so clearly people are NOT just killing each other with other weapons.

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What do the "bad guys" in Britain and Japan do without guns? [View all] moondust Jan 2013 OP

umm, not kill their fellow citizens in record numbers? n/t bench scientist Jan 2013 #1

record numbers?really? backwoodsbob Jan 2013 #8

The U.S. ALWAYS sets the records for firearm deaths in the developed world. EOTE Jan 2013 #10

that wasn't the question backwoodsbob Jan 2013 #11

Actually it WAS the question. EOTE Jan 2013 #12

It isn't a matter of comparing how violent our recent history to how violent our past history is. JDPriestly Jan 2013 #52

American gun deaths beat every other civilized nation. rustydog Jan 2013 #24

So which nations guardian Jan 2013 #42

There's a clear line between the first world and the rest of the world. EOTE Jan 2013 #80

So the guardian Jan 2013 #81

Sure, if that's the word you'd like to use. EOTE Jan 2013 #82

it's clear cut and not even close bench scientist Jan 2013 #71

they do less murdering of people than in the United States CreekDog Jan 2013 #77

aw, yea creekdog bench scientist Jan 2013 #79

dont know about japan but bad guys in the uk get guns too easily loli phabay Jan 2013 #2

Huge knife culture? Kingofalldems Jan 2013 #7

This message was self-deleted by its author hack89 Jan 2013 #17

seriuosly do a search theres been campaigns to get knifes of the streets loli phabay Jan 2013 #23

And yet, as the figures in #4 show, knives kill slightly more in the USA muriel_volestrangler Jan 2013 #40

still does not mean there is not a knife culture in the schemes loli phabay Jan 2013 #41

But is it any smaller than the American knife culture? muriel_volestrangler Jan 2013 #44

depends on where you live. on some schemes stabbings are everyday loli phabay Jan 2013 #46

Hysterical tabloids, stuff like that. Posteritatis Jan 2013 #68

Not to mention bows & arrows in Sherwood Forest. Pyrzqxgl Jan 2013 #78

They use knives and clubs. ManiacJoe Jan 2013 #3

I'd rather look at a knife than down the barrel of a gun. Squinch Jan 2013 #26

Really? guardian Jan 2013 #43

Guns are chosen by people intending to kill muriel_volestrangler Jan 2013 #45

Yes, really. And since it looks as if your link is to some photo of a wound, I don't really Squinch Jan 2013 #47

If an attacker has a knife, then I want a gun. Bake Jan 2013 #61

Figures for 3 years of England & Wales homicides muriel_volestrangler Jan 2013 #4

But but but malaise Jan 2013 #6

A point that CANNOT be over-emphasized Jeff In Milwaukee Jan 2013 #37

They commit far fewer homicides. DanTex Jan 2013 #5

Britons use knives, fists, beer glasses, and blunt objects. Japan doesn't have much violent crime. slackmaster Jan 2013 #9

The Japanese use swords. edbermac Jan 2013 #13

What drunks did in the US when booze was banned. dairydog91 Jan 2013 #14

Island nations have no black market? Robb Jan 2013 #18

Thank you, I just spewed coffee all over my desk. a la izquierda Jan 2013 #50

of course! there is not a single leaf of ganja in jamaica, for instance. farminator3000 Jan 2013 #62

Of course they have black markets. dairydog91 Jan 2013 #70

Japanese "bad guys" have plenty of guns obamanut2012 Jan 2013 #15

They must be lousy shots then. Robb Jan 2013 #19

Yakuza use firearms as a last resort formercia Jan 2013 #22

So, everybody was kung fu fighting instead? Bucky Jan 2013 #76

LOL! So true, it's funny! Squinch Jan 2013 #28

They don't use them much. Nor in Britain Recursion Jan 2013 #39

+1 HiPointDem Jan 2013 #48

id say a large part is cultural and another is the guns tend to be held loli phabay Jan 2013 #51

The question was if they had guns obamanut2012 Jan 2013 #74

This Puzzledtraveller Jan 2013 #16

Wound each other at approximately twice the US rate, in the UK at least. dmallind Jan 2013 #20

But kill each other a whole lot less. Squinch Jan 2013 #29

There are always firearms to be had, regardless of the laws formercia Jan 2013 #21

As for Britain, I think you can rule out biting. n/t Scurrilous Jan 2013 #25

Knives, swords, axes. PLARS1999 Jan 2013 #27

How bad are things when you carry a gun with bullets in it? Squinch Jan 2013 #30

If you don't trust your dealer, don't buy from him. PLARS1999 Jan 2013 #34

Huh? Squinch Jan 2013 #35

Hooligans. PLARS1999 Jan 2013 #36

I remember for a time it was double bladed Stanley knifes loli phabay Jan 2013 #31

I'm fairly confident that I have a much better chance of outrunning a bladed weapon LanternWaste Jan 2013 #66

Call Bush. Weapons of mass destruction. pampango Jan 2013 #32

Axes were preferred weapons in medieval times ...... oldhippie Jan 2013 #64

Who says the bad guys don't have guns there? (nt) Recursion Jan 2013 #33

Even the Yakuza won't mess around with guns in Japan. backscatter712 Jan 2013 #38

Yakuza have guns, & traffic in guns. HiPointDem Jan 2013 #49

Only a small subset. backscatter712 Jan 2013 #53

not really the case. HiPointDem Jan 2013 #59

Some documentation would be a nice thing Kolesar Jan 2013 #55

... HiPointDem Jan 2013 #57

Wow, seven Kolesar Jan 2013 #58

Because they *don't* commonly use them to kill people. But they have them, they traffic them HiPointDem Jan 2013 #60

Is it the smell of cordite that brings the snot out from you? Kolesar Jan 2013 #65

what? the fact is, unless they've experienced it, americans tend to assume the yakuza operate HiPointDem Jan 2013 #67

They victimize the weak just like all bad guys do. cherokeeprogressive Jan 2013 #54

Impulsive and unwise people don't kill others in commenserate numbers, though Kolesar Jan 2013 #56

Even gangsters live in fear of Japan�s gun laws by Jake Adelstein farminator3000 Jan 2013 #63

Prey upon the weak. loose wheel Jan 2013 #69

Swords ? JI7 Jan 2013 #72

Ever think that maybe Britain and Japan lock up their crazy people? kudzu22 Jan 2013 #73

We do too, but we use prisons instead of those mamby-pampy mental treatment centers Bucky Jan 2013 #75