British gun laws: Coming soon to a country near you?

• By: admin
• On: 19/03/2010 11:27:12
• In: News
• Comments: 0

According to "The State," seven countries have begun a campaign to “regulate the global arms trade” and “prevent the illegal transfer of guns.” And leading the charge is John Duncan, Britain’s ambassador for multilateral arms control and disarmament, who described a recent month-long meeting of the UN General Assembly’s disarmament committee as “pivotal” in launching a new global treaty.

Despite previous U.S.-led resistance to international gun control, when U.S. ambassador John Bolton repudiated such efforts, Duncan and other supporters hope to have the U.N. General Assembly vote on a draft treaty later this year.

AMERICAN VERSUS BRITISH CRIME RATES

Ironically, the same Britain now trying to export gun control has experienced an explosion in violent crime since virtually banning guns in 1997. In an article just three months old, the British MailOnline reports that England and Wales now have the highest violent crime in the European Union – a rate which, in fact exceeds that of the United States and even hyper-violent South Africa.

Says MailOnline:

“In the decade following [the election of the Labor Party] in 1997, the number of recorded violent attacks soared by 77 percent to 1.158 million – more than two every minute.”

Indeed, the U.K. – a laboratory for the near-complete prohibition of private gun ownership – has a violent crime victimization rate of 2,034 per 100,000 residents. Meanwhile, the U.S., with its far less restrictive gun laws, has a violence rate of only 466 crimes per 100,000 residents. Even South Africa’s rate is lower, at 1,677 violent crimes per 100,000.

Downplaying the report, British Police Minister David Hanson cited differences in crime reporting to call the figures “misleading.”

OTHER COUNTRIES

Also supporting the U.N. effort are Argentina, Australia, Costa Rica, Finland, Japan and Kenya. While violent crime rates are not readily available for Argentina, Costa Rica and Kenya, anecdotal evidence suggests violence exceeding our own.

• Argentina: The Argentine Post, conducting a survey of households in 40 urban centers, reports fully 32.7% or respondents had a family member who had been victimized, and only one-third of such crimes had been reported.
• Finland: With gun laws the BBC laments as “among the most liberal in the world,” Finland has a violent crime rate of only 738 per 100,000.
• Japan: While violence is historically low in Japanese culture, suicide rates are invariably high, despite a near-complete ban on private gun ownership. Additionally, Japanese residents live in a virtual police state.
• Australia: Another laboratory for gun control since restricting gun ownership following the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, MailOnline reports a violent crime rate for Australia of 92 per 100,000 residents. This seems unlikely, however, since The Australia Institute of Criminology reports that assault alone occurs at a rate of 840 per 100,000 – a rate which increased dramatically since the Port Arthur ban. Other sources, including Austin Gun Rights Examiner Howard Nemerov, report either flat or increasing trend lines for violent crime since the ban.

SPEAKING OF AUSTRALIA …

And since the Australian government seems to want its restrictions brought to the U.S., perhaps we should glimpse what its subjects can expect in the future. "The Manly Daily," of Australia, reported on October 9 that pursuant to the Australian Firearms Act of 1996:

“Northern Beaches Police will be turning up on the doorstep of every licensed gun owner in the area over the next four years to check their firearms are stored correctly.

“Operation Aston follows the gun amnesty that ended on May 31 and will target guns stored incorrectly and the security of gun safes, Northern Beaches Commander Doreen Cruickshank said.

“’Gun owners have a responsibility to ensure their weapon is safely stored at all times when not in use,’ Supt Cruickshank said.

“’Licensing police will be attending the home of every licensed firearm owner in the northern beaches over the next four years to inspect every weapon and check the gun safe.

“’Officers will be examining all gun safes to ensure they comply with the legislative requirements, particularly in relation to the standard and security of safes.’” [Emphasis added]
 

 ENOUGH SAID?