Chalk up another "victory" for gun control...

[jake]

5 killed, 25 wounded in a country with some of the strictest gun control laws in the world. How can that possibly happen?[/sarcasm]

Well, if I may play devil's advocate, this is probably the first mass shooting (12 reported dead now) since the stricter gun control laws were enacted after Dunblane in 1996. In that same time period, how many mass shootings have there been in this country?

Personally, I don't think the news today would have been any different whether the gun laws were as strict as they are in 2010 or were in 1995. Hardly anyone owned guns in the UK then, hardly anyone owns guns in the UK now, so it's not as if some armed citizen would have put a stop to this rampage.

And I'm going to guess (although I could be wrong) that this guy used a legally held firearm. Most illegal firearms in the UK are used in inner-city gang-on-gang violence, not some murder-suicide out in the sticks.

[iamhunter]

Well, if I may play devil's advocate, this is probably the first mass shooting (12 reported dead now) since the stricter gun control laws were enacted after Dunblane in 1996. In that same time period, how many mass shootings have there been in this country?

You fail to take into account the sever discrepancy between US and UK populations.

taking that into account, our "mass shooting" occurence since 1996 is about 1 per 30,000,000

While, if this is the first mass shooting since 1996, the UKs is 1 per 61,000,000

Again though, the statisitics are virtually meaningless as it's impossible to establish a direct correlation between gun control and shooting occurence.

It could be due to any number of societal factors, including cultural influences, stresses, etc.


On a side note, it was found that the shooting was carried out with a sporting-shotgun and a .22 rifle.


So much for that whole "assault" weapons theory.

[jake]

You fail to take into account the sever discrepancy between US and UK populations.

taking that into account, our "mass shooting" occurence since 1996 is about 1 per 30,000,000

While, if this is the first mass shooting since 1996, the UKs is 1 per 61,000,000

Again though, the statisitics are virtually meaningless as it's impossible to establish a direct correlation between gun control and shooting occurence.

It could be due to any number of societal factors, including cultural influences, stresses, etc.


On a side note, it was found that the shooting was carried out with a sporting-shotgun and a .22 rifle.


So much for that whole "assault" weapons theory.

That's kind of my point - it's meaningless to compare the two countries because they're so different when it comes to attitudes towards firearms. I've read estimates that half of the households in this country own at least one firearm. The firearms restrictions after Dunblane affected about 50,000 people. How many people in this country would be affected by a ban on semi-auto rifles larger than .22 caliber and shotguns capable of holding more than three shells?

[sniper7]

too bad the good guys didn't conceal carry and drop the guy dead. gun control fails in all aspects of allowing the law abiding citizens to defend themselves.

[Irving]

I don't know why the French have such a bad rap for being pussies.

http://www.geekologie.com/2010/06/ga...ayer_in_re.php

[jake]

I was playing Call of Duty and got in a fight with a guy from the UK which ended with him requesting my address so he could cut my head off. I guess I haven't lost too much of my accent because I don't think he would have expected to knock on my door and be welcomed by the business end of a 12 gauge

[Irving]

Well, you did say "for a laugh" in the art thread and you probably called him a Bloody Wanker without realizing it.

Brilliant.