"In 1993, handguns were used to kill 82 people in Japan, 76 people in Canada, 33 people in Great Britain
While firearms killed 39,595 in the U.S. that year, though the handgun breakout is unclear."
Daniel
A comparison would be worthwhile. In 1963 the homicide rate was around 5 per 100,000, climbing to over 9 by 1993. (http://rkba.org/research/stat/homicide)
In the meantime, the Gun Control Act of 1968:
-extended the ban on interstate shipment to long guns;
-prohibited the sale of guns to minors, drug addicts, mental incompetents, and convicted felons;
-strengthened licensing and record-keeping requirements for gun dealers and collectors; and,
-increased penalties for those using guns in crime.
I realize the problem is multifactorial, but if you must focus on restricting/eliminating legal gun ownership to reduce crime, statistics alone would indicate that firearm legislation is counterproductive to the goal.
I would also have to ask if you would expect a war on guns to work as well as the war on drugs.
p. |
