Sunday Wristies

[fraggle42]

In the case of some weapons, yes. But, in the case of most small arms (pistols, rifles), the improvements are designed to defend oneself with more efficiency.

Could you explain this please?

I am trying to think of any area that could be improved that could be said to be a better improvement for defence than for offence.

Well, there you hit upon the precise problem - criminals, by definition, do not follow laws; only law-abiding citizens do. That is precisely why the laws that limit the law-abiding only make it easier for criminals to harm the innocent.

But my last point that you agreed with refutes this, that criminals will use bigger weapons than the law allows, but just to the extent they need to intimidate their victims.

From my impression from the local news and national news from the various parts of the UK I've lived in burglars, professional car thieves, (AFAIK) may carry around a large knife or baseball bat (actually in the UK it's normally a cosh - a short length of pipe with the business end filled with lead - smaller, more effective, easier to use than a full sized baseball bat), but very rarely a gun.

Sentences for burglary and theft may be 6 months or community service or 3 years (depending on offender history), going armed and it's something like 5 years upwards, usually 10+.

The gun crime in the UK normally comes from "gangs" styling themselves on gangs in places were guns are legal. It's very rare that you'll hear about the types of crime I described above being carried out by armed criminals.

Bank or post office robbers, yes, nearly always armed but I'd consider that a crime "level" above what we're talking about.

I've just tried to find some proper numbers rather than going from my impressions, but the headline "multiple killings" and "deaths per country" are easy to find, "number of (any) crimes involving guns per country with public gun owning legality noted" isn't so easy to find!

Will have a dig tomorrow, it's past my bedtime now.