From: skeeter@skatter.usask.ca
Newsgroups: can.english,talk.politics.guns
Subject: Re: Gun Control Petition
Date: 11 Dec 1992 21:52:22 GMT
Organization: University of Saskatchewan
NNTP-Posting-Host: orion.usask.ca
Followups-To: talk.politics.guns

From article <1992Dec5.211104.3734@trentu.ca>, by cscullion@TrentU.CA (hello):
> In article <schuck.723542722@sfu.ca>, schuck@fraser.sfu.ca (Bruce Jonathan 
> Schuck) writes:
>>jamie@garfield.cs.mun.ca (Jamie Cashin) writes:
>>>schuck@fraser.sfu.ca (Bruce Jonathan Schuck) writes:
>>Convince me that murder and crime would end if guns were outlawed and
>>I might agree with *you*.
>>It won't.
>>You could also consider the Switzerland situation. Every male , 18 to
>>60, is in the armed forces, or has to serve some time in the armed
>>forces each year. They take their assault rifles home. If you travel
>>in Switzerland in the summer there are soldiers carrying their assault
>>rifles all over the place. 
>>Switzerland has a *low* murder rate.
> 
> For the sake of proper comparative analysis, please use a methodology in 
> your arguements that uses *context*.  I simply don't think you can compare 
> Switwerland and Canada without some background.  Do you have some 
> recognized stats to back your statements?
> 				chris scullion
> 				cscullion@trentu.ca

Okay, here goes.

{unfortunately I lost the source for these stats...}

sorted by "handgun%"
 
#         Country  hom  hand   all
#                  rate gun%  gun%
#             USA  8.8    29  48.9
#     Switzerland  1.2    14  32.6
#         Finland  2.9     7  25.5
#    West Germany  1.2   6.5   9.2
#         Belgium  1.8     6  16.8
#          France  1.2   5.5  24.7
#          Canada  2.1     4  30.8
#          Norway  1.2   3.5  31.2
#       Australia  2.0     2  20.1
#           Spain  1.0     2
#Northern Ireland  5.2   1.5
#     Netherlands  0.9     1   2.0
# England & Wales  0.7   0.5   4.7
#        Scotland  1.8   0.5


sorted by "all gun%"

#         Country  hom  hand   all
#                  rate gun%  gun%
#             USA  8.8    29  48.9
#     Switzerland  1.2    14  32.6
#          Norway  1.2   3.5  31.2
#          Canada  2.1     4  30.8
#         Finland  2.9     7  25.5
#          France  1.2   5.5  24.7
#       Australia  2.0     2  20.1
#         Belgium  1.8     6  16.8
#    West Germany  1.2   6.5   9.2
# England & Wales  0.7   0.5   4.7
#     Netherlands  0.9     1   2.0
#           Spain  1.0     2
#Northern Ireland  5.2   1.5
#        Scotland  1.8   0.5

Notice how Switzerland is second in both lists?  Note how low the
"hom rate" is?  Now look at how small a portion of people in
Northern Ireland have guns.  Notice it's "hom rate".
 
Canadian officials say we have "better gun control" (but they are
still increasing restrictions), yet we have a moderate "hom rate".

Canada has MORE murders (per 1,000) than Norway, France, Belgium,
West Germany, Finland, and (the ever-popular) Switzerland.
Yet we have fewer handguns than France, Belgium, West Germany,
Finland, and Switzerland.  We also have fewer firearms than
Switzerland and Norway but almost TWICE the "hom rate". 
 
It should be obvious that there are MANY other factors...
 
--
skeeter@skatter.usask.ca			no nifty .sig

The weight of one's wallet is inversly proportional to the size of
one's heart.   -- me 
Xref: sparky can.english:99 talk.politics.guns:25383