You know my bad for not checking the date.
Looks like that was the peak for knife attacks, looks like knife attacks are down to 26k a year and -blam!-s are up to 29k a year.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-33547806
Unless the BBC is a tabloid too.
English
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No, it's not. But do you think violent homicides would go up or down if guns were legal? Just curious
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Given that homicides in both the US and UK have been on a similar decline, and if the UK did not ban firearms in the first place. I would assume that they would follow the same downward trend they are now or see no change. A tool is a tool be it a gun or a knife it requires a human to use them for good or ill. Murder is already illegal, so is -blam!-, robbery and a host of other things yet people still commit those crimes.
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So because people already commit crimes, why make it harder for them to do so? Sound logic...
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No, because people already commit heinous crimes I see no reason to rob the law abiding of an effective means of protection against those that would commit said crimes with or without a gun. It's why shootings happen at malls and schools they are "gun free" except for the shooter, they are provided with a target rich environment that will offer little to no meaningfully resistance. As a result they have a monopoly on force until the police arrive and they shoot themselves or are shot.
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Criminals aren't the only things that make guns problematic. Accidents also happen, and more regularly than you'd think. Also many guns criminals use are acquired legally. It's not a valid assumption to say they'd get their hands on guns anyway just because they're criminals. Many criminals are opportunists who kill with guns just because they have guns. I mean we have criminals in the UK, but they don't get firearms.
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Right you have criminals on the UK and effectively no private firearms ownership yet you still have the highest violent crime rate in Europe, and saw no significant decrease in violent crimes after banning firearms. Accidents happen with most anything and are unintentional, its why we call them accidents. The only way to remove 300+ million guns from the hands of 150+ million people would be to use government force, so it will never happen, it would also require an amendment to the US Constitution which requires a 3/4 majority vote by the states. We will have to agree to disagree, where I see a tool used far more often to protect life then take it you only see a criminal implement and no matter what either one of us says to the other perceptions won't change.
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I don't only see it as a criminal instrument, but I always see it as a killing machine. But yeah, we'll agree to disagree.