: Frank Crary posted:
: : Sure, but the difference in per-capita crime rates predates the
: : gun control laws: The homicide rate in England was a tenth that
: : of America, back when anyone in England could buy a gun without
: : any paperwork at all.

: Steve Manes asks:
: > Got a citation for this?

: Colin Greenwood from Scotland Yard did a study that showed that gun
: control has had no effect on crime or murder rates in the UK.  His book,
: _Firearms_Controls_, has been published in London by Keegan Paul (name
: may be misspelled).

Others dispute that, like Richard Hofstadter, <America As A Gun Culture>,
and Newton and Zimring's <Firearms and Violence in American Life>.  But,
again, statistics between too dissimilar cultures are difficult to
quantify.

I don't know how anyone can state that gun control could have NO
effect on homicide rates.  There were over 250 >accidental< handgun
homicides in America in 1990, most with licensed weapons.  More
American children accidentally shot other children last year (15)
than all the handgun homicides in Great Britain.  (Source: National
Safety Council.  Please... no dictionary arguments about RATES vs
TOTAL NUMBERS, okay?  They're offered for emphasis, not comparison).

If Mr. Greenwood believes that Brits are much too sober and
coordinated to make such mistakes I'd like to introduce him to my
friend, Amanda from Brighton.  I used to have some pretty nice
crystal in my place until she moved in.  I've gotten used to the
snide comments from guests about the clown motif on my rubber
wine glasses.
