Guns Europe vs. America
11/6/10 15:39![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
verytwistedmind.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
talkpoliticsAn armed society is a polite society
- Robert A. Heinlein
A taxi driver went on a shooting spree across a rural area of northwestern England on Wednesday, police said, killing 12 people and wounding 25 others before turning the gun on himself.
This tragedy should not have happened in England. They have some of the toughest gun lawsanywhere. This should only happen in cowboy land USA or Mexico maybe Australia…but not Europe where they keep gun violence in check.
My research turned up some alarming facts about gun violence in Europe:
· Worst k-12 school shooting: Erfurt, Germany in 2002, where 18 were killed.
· The second, worst took place in Dunblane, Scotland in 1996, Killed 16 kindergartners and their teacher and wounded 12 children and two teachers.
· The third, Winnenden Germany high school attack, with 16 deaths, including the suicide of the perpetrator
· The fourth shooting was in the U.S. -- Columbine High School in 1999, killing 12 students and one teacher. They also injured 21 other students directly, and three people were injured while attempting to escape.
The fifth worst school related murder spree Emsdetten, Germany, 11 murdered
I find the school shoots the most vile so I open my argument with them but mass shootings In Europe are not uncommon because of their stricter gun laws.
- Zug, Switzerland, September 27, 2001: a man murdered 15 members of a cantonal parliament.
- Tours, France, October 29, 2001: four people were killed and 10 wounded when a French railway worker started killing people at a busy intersection in the city.
- Nanterre, France, March 27, 2002: a man kills eight city councilors after a city council meeting.
Freising, Germany on February 19, 2002: Three people killed and one wounded.
- Turin, Italy on October 15, 2002: Seven people were killed on a hillside overlooking the city.
- Madrid, Spain, October 1, 2006: a man kills two employees and wounds another at a company that he was fired from.
If we compare mass shootings in Europe to America from 1977 to 1999 where there are 4 or more shootings Europe has 11.8 deaths per year and America has 10.56
Do stricter gun laws make us safer? It appears not. In fact I believe the opposite is the case
Maine has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the country, but when it comes to violent crime, those guns are seldom put to use.
Disclaimer: I am certain there is data I don’t have that you can find that will prove your counter argument as well, I’d like to read that. I find these numbers to be very compelling though. I’ve presented my case in a civil manner, please follow suit.
(no subject)
Date: 12/6/10 21:19 (UTC)