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From: dps@omsvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Handguns: we're succumbing to mob rule
Message-ID: <650@omsvax>
Date: Thu, 8-Sep-83 11:48:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: omsvax.650
Posted: Thu Sep  8 11:48:45 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 9-Sep-83 20:06:25 EDT
References: uiucdcs.2649, <1954@tekecs.UUCP>, <970@utcsstat.UUCP>, <687@druxu.UUCP>
Organization: Intel Corp. - Hillsboro,OR
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England has handgun control. London has fewer murders than
any American city of comparable size or density.  I don't
have the figures to hand, but as I recall the difference
is an order of magnitude.  British authorities have no doubt
that there is a relation.

Also, some Canadian cities (perhaps the whole country) also
have handgun control.  The Canadian city/cities in the
Great Lakes metropolitan area have fewer murders than the
American cities.   Could there be a relation?
 
Most deaths from handguns are not caused by professional criminals,
but by people with an emotional involvement with their victims.
Having a handgun readily available makes crimes of passion easy.

In dealing with a housebreaker, a home owner with a gun has a choice:
1) He can challenge the housebreaker, giving the hb'er time to fire
his own gun, or 2) He can shoot first and ask question later.  If
he chooses 2), he should have a lawyer noted for proving "that it was
in self defense"  -- hard to argue when the hb'er didn't even see
the shooter.

I, for one, would feel a lot safer if the only handguns around were
in the hands of professional criminals.  I figure the chances of not
getting shot would improve by several orders of magnitude.  I also
don't believe that political freedom and democracy require handguns.
After all, the Athenians didn't have handguns.