Gotta love that British sense of understement

[Bailey Guns]

I have some friends who immigrated from the UK about 3 or 4 years ago. They spent a helluva lot of money so they could open a business office right here in Bailey.

The main reason was the freedoms and gun rights we have here.

[Rooskibar03]

I heard today from friends back home that an employee of a Waterstones (Barnes and Noble style bookseller) was on the news saying "we'll stay open, if they steal some books they might learn something."

What is somewhat ironic, and points to the real reason for these riots the book store was the only business not smashed and looted.

But they are simply mis guided youth trying to make their voices heard about society. BS.

[Irving]

I can't get this picture to work on Google +. Any help?

[mcantar18c]

The Brits have made their bed (banning guns, knives, self defense), now they get to lay in it.

Interesting how quickly humans learn though. Do what you can with whatever you can find. Notice the increase in sales of certain items on the UK Amazon in the last 24 hours...
Folding shovels: 152,200% increase in sales.
Telescopic batons: 35,193% increase.
Aluminum bats: 26,309% increase
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/movers-an...ef=zg_bsms_tab
Wonder how many paid for overnight shipping?

(current numbers at the time of this post, may change by the time you see them).

[jake]

Guns aren't banned in the UK, neither are knives, neither is self defense.

[Ranger]

didnt you know that the best way to really get back at the gov it to destroy your own stuff

That's what always gets me too, even with the LA riots. It's far less of a rebellion against government and more an excuse to be an idiot. How do you, as a rebel against the government, win the hearts and minds of your fellow citizens when this is what you do to protest? I found myself constantly screaming at the TV during the LA riots wondering what this was doing for the cause. Nothing! All everyone got out of that whole ordeal is that some people will use any excuse to loot because somehow it the crime is legitimized by the big bad government (or police or whatever).

[mutt]

Guns aren't banned in the UK, neither are knives, neither is self defense.

Overly strict regulation is akin to an outright ban. And the British zeal to prosecute citizens who do defend themselves also essentially equals a ban. Read the British 1968 and 1988 Firearms Acts and then tell us guns aren't essentially banned. Then read their 1996 Offensive Weapons Act and 1997 Knives Act and tell us knives aren't essentially banned. The British have been reduced to a nation of sheep and the wolves are now running wild.

[hollohas]

Overly strict regulation is akin to an outright ban. And the British zeal to prosecute citizens who do defend themselves also essentially equals a ban. Read the British 1968 and 1988 Firearms Acts and then tell us guns aren't essentially banned. Then read their 1996 Offensive Weapons Act and 1997 Knives Act and tell us knives aren't essentially banned. The British have been reduced to a nation of sheep and the wolves are now running wild.

While you're at it Jake, take a look at a bunch of pictures of British police and tell us how many have guns... Ah, I'll give you the answer now. Not many. In fact the vast majority of British LEOs don't carry a sidearm on standard duty. They have a "firearms team" for that. The rest get batons.

Even the police face overly strict gun regulations which manifests as a "ban".

[jake]

Firearms ownership was low in Britain and declining at the time of the last round of restrictions. It's still declining. Hardly anyone in the UK owns a gun because hardly anyone in the UK is interested in owning guns.

Most people and most police officers don't want the police to be routinely armed, a fair minority of officers have even said they would resign rather than carry firearms. There's no need for the police to be routinely armed because gun crime is so rare.

There's practically zero discussion about relaxing gun laws in the UK over the looting (they weren't rioters; they weren't disaffected youth: they were thieves plain and simple) because there is practically zero interest in gun ownership in the UK.

As for the issue of self defense, reading the no doubt well-informed opinions of gun owners from Texas and Tennessee on forums like THR it always seems to fall back to one of two high-profile cases, neither of which is a classic example of a Briton being prosecuted for defending himself.

In the last couple of days the police issued a statement assuring home and business owners that they would not be prosecuted for defending themselves or their property. Last month in Manchester a homeowner stabbed a burglar to death, he wasn't prosecuted.

Oh, and please note that I'm not at all trying to suggest that gun control = less gun crime. I firmly agree with the cliche that if you outlaw guns only outlaws will have guns. Gun free zones are a joke. Magazine capacity restrictions are a joke. But the UK is not the US in terms of the history and culture of firearms ownership and never was. You can't disarm someone who was never armed in the first place.