OF course they can be compared. The US and any developed country can be compared, and when they are, the USA doesn't fare well with homicide rates.
I was, and still am, against the knee-jerk reaction by the Govt here to ban private gun ownership, following a loonie on a shooting rampage in Tasmania some years back. I was convinced that it would do little to control criminals getting guns and the homicide rate would not fall. I did some research using Year Books in the library at uni, and unfortunately (for my stance against gun control) it seems to be the case- homicides did decrease, gun related ones especially. The balance, (by knives, hand and other instruments) did increase slightly, but the overall rate dropped. Score one to the Nanny State, but I still believe law abiding, sane citizens should be able to own firearms, although I see no need for the average person to own military style auto weapons.
You say mine are fucked, yet you provided none. All you did was type shit up with nothing to back it up. If you did, then do show me where any of your 'full of shit' stats you spouted off have any sort of source backing. And all you could come up with in response to me initially calling you out is, 'blah blah go Google it...blah blah.' You are a laughable troll. Everyone else in this thread knows this. You just got pwned, but you try to dis my correct stats to try to hide it. Go play in traffic and leave us adults here to have a discussion.
You did Google it. You demonstrated that the overall homicide rate in the USA is 2.8 times greater than the UK. I did not 'dis your stats' I conceded you had more recent numbers. You then made a fallacious comparison of overall homicide rate in the UK, to firearms homicides in the USA, where you should have compared like for like. I'll have a stab at that for you. In the UK, accounting year 2006/2007, there were just 59 firearms homicides. (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/hosb0308.pdf) And in 2006, the USA saw 9,369 murders with firearms; (http://www.nationmaster.com/red/country/us-united-states/cri-crime&all=1) OK, so you have five times our population, so if things were like for like, we'd expect 300 homicides per annum. Hmm, no, it still doesn't add up. OK, let's take this straw man out you started stuffing, about the number of house holds that have guns being greater, Buffalo offered a ratio of 8:1, so if the UK had as many guns, we'd expect to see 2,400 firearms homicides per annum. But no, comparing the adjusted figures for population, and gun ownership, we see a four fold increase in the USA homicide rates. Could this be because the system in the UK actively prevents criminals from acquiring firearms, and that each and every firearm owner is licensed? So, let's see you talk your way out of those stats.
A few problems there Phlogistician. A homicide is a homicide. You should not move the goal post. The homice rate in Japan is probably (according to stats i have seen) close to 2.8 times lower than UK. And it is legal to have certain firearms there. Plus you have to factor in other things.
I didn't. I compared firearms homicides to firearms homicides, and also overall homicide to overall homicide. The USA exceeds the UK by several times in each case. It is legal to have certain firearms in the UK! Check your facts! Do it then. Show us what other factors are in play.
Er, no. UK, 2006 stats, 59 firearms homicides. USA, 2006 stats, 9369. You have five times the population, meaning normalised the UK should see about 300. 9,369/300 = 31.2 times more firearms homicides. IF we then adjust this for gun ownership, at 8:1, you get nearer the same ratio for Firearms homicides, and overall homicide, yes, but that's just massaging the stats, and it deflates Mikenostics point anyway. None of the above prove guns are keeping you safe, or that 'an armed society is a polite society'. Gun Defense state far outweigh the number of reported crimes in the USA so are not to be trusted, and if you do, the USA is in far worse shape than accepted league tables suggest. Although it is odd, that men are more likely to carry guns, when women are more vulnerable, and that gun owners report more incidents of victimisation than non gun owners. I guess this says more about the psychology of the people that feel the need to carry guns, than the actual risk from crime.
And there you have it. I'll cross the street to avoid what looks like potential trouble. If I have a gun I might not be so accomodating.
