January 26, 2000
I received this bit in the e-mail today from the Liberator Online, and just had to do some background checking on it -- unbelievable! Major news-agencies stating that banning guns just doesn't seem to be working. I've added my comments and a bit of additional research, as well as providing links to the original articles, where I could find them.
"A couple of years ago we reported on Britain's draconian Firearms Act of 1997, which tightened that country's already-severe gun laws and virtually disarmed the population, making armed self-defense illegal. "Now the mainstream British media is reporting a massive new wave of crime, including gun crimes. "On January 18, BBC News Online reported "a huge surge in muggings": "The figures for recorded offences, a blow to the government's anti-crime crusade, show the first rise in England and Wales for six years. The number of robberies - most of them muggings - increased by 19% in the year to September 1999 compared with a fall of nearly 6% over the previous 12 months."Unfortunately, the sorce article has been removed from the BBC web site, so I am unable to provide links to it. My apologies.
Editors Note:
"The figures suggest that crime - which was falling for six years - has
gone up slightly, by 2.2% - but it's not clear why. In some areas - 24 police
forces - crime fell; two areas - the West Midlands and London - accounted for
most of the increase - if it hadn't been for those two areas crime would have
fallen. "
(from
Q&A: Crime Figures
Isn't that also the same time frame that nearly all personally owned guns were confiscated? Sure does seem like it. Draw your own conclusions. Anyway, back to the article from the Liberator:
"The headline for a January 16 London Times article was: "Killings Rise As 3 Million Illegal Guns Flood Britain." Total crime in London rose by 22% for the year September 1998-1999, and armed crime rose 10%. Gun prohibition has also created a massive new black market smuggling in powerful guns for criminals.From the UK Sunday Times
Editor here again: More clips from the article. Liberator Online missed the best bits! Continuting on fron the article in the Sunday Times, we see:
Anti-gun campaigners hoped the handgun ban after Dunblane - where Thomas Hamilton shot dead 16 children and a teacher - would reduce firearm crime. The latest figures, however, show crime involving weapons is on the increase. Home Office figures reveal that, over- all, armed crime rose 10% in 1998. Kate Broadhurst, a researcher at the Scarman Centre, said: "Controls on legally held firearms are clearly unlikely to have much of an impact."
Editors Note (me again!): And, now the truth comes out! Further down the page in the Sunday times you see:
Home Office officials insist (...) the handgun ban was never intended to combat firearms-related crime, but was a direct response to Dunblane, which involved legally held handguns.
Or in otherwords, they just wanted to disarm law-abiding citizens, er, subjects. Continuing with the article from the Liberator:
"The January 14th Manchester Guardian reported that city is now being called "Gunchester." Police -- who are usually unarmed -- report some gangs are now armed with fully automatic weapons and that guns are "almost a fashion accessory" among young street criminals.Quotes from The Guardian
"The June 20, 1999 Sunday Express reported: "In recent months there have been a frightening number of shootings in Britain's major cities, despite new laws banning gun ownership. Our investigation established that guns are available through means open to any criminally-minded individual." The government's response? Plans being discussed include: further increasing penalties for gun possession; cracking down on drugs; creating a national DNA database of both innocent and convicted citizens; and restricting knives and air guns. "(Sources: papers as named; BBC News Online; op-ed by Michael S. Brown)"
So, it seems to be real. Wow. Perhaps politicians in your part of the world should see this -- Feel free to reprint this page and mail to your local and national representatives.
Will England
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