Why is it?

I reall see no need to let this topic open.

Man Erg wrote: Hyperborea wrote: . The picts got shagged out of Caledonia and replaced by some Irish numbnuts (Scots) Ahem!

Hyperborea wrote: . The picts got shagged out of Caledonia and replaced by some Irish numbnuts (Scots)

Ahem!

GoldenSpiral wrote: banning all guns is a terrible idea for america.  People at this point are way too attached to their guns to ever give in to any legislation that would threaten them.  Plus, I still believe in the original purpose of the 2nd amendment, which is to keep power in the hands of the citizens, not in the hands of an over-armed government.I think it's our culture of violence that needs to change before any effective change can take place in sale of guns themselves.

Excellent interpretation of the Constitution.

The revisionist-history assumptions about where Americans came from (and why) aside, this is an interesting and important question. First let me say though that I am both a Libertarian and someone who comes from Montana, one of the strongest pro-gun states in the U.S., but I believe we need to do something to better control access to guns. The individual who shot 58 people at Virginia Tech and killed 33 of them would probably have committed his crimes regardless, but it is unlikely he would have left so many victims if he had not been able to purchase handguns here.

That said, if you expand your question to include all crimes, then your argument doesn’t really hold up. According to the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute, Australia (and New Zealand) both reported higher rates of assault victims, rape victims, robbery victims, and total crime victims in the last reporting period (1998-2002) then did the U.S.

In fact, Australia and New Zealand were numbers 1 and 2 in the percentage of citizens who have been a victim of a crime. The U.S. was #15. The UK, Sweden, Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, France, and Italy all had higher rates of crime victims than the United States.

But it is true that the gun murder rate in the United States is unacceptably high. It is the eighth highest in the world per capita, and almost ten times higher than Australia’s. So it seems that Australians commit more crimes than Americans, they simply let their victims live.

I don't own a gun, and I never intend to, but the day the US tries to ban them will be the day I get one.

The idea is.....the criminals settled, but the religous people didn't. Although both abused the indigenous tribes there. As did the British, everywhere they went.

Edited by Hyperborea - April 21 2007 at 19:14

That's an interesting idea, but it lies on the assumption that descendents of criminals and religious people will turn to a life of crime or religion respectively.

banning all guns is a terrible idea for america.  People at this point are way too attached to their guns to ever give in to any legislation that would threaten them.  Plus, I still believe in the original purpose of the 2nd amendment, which is to keep power in the hands of the citizens, not in the hands of an over-armed government.

I think it's our culture of violence that needs to change before any effective change can take place in sale of guns themselves.

I don't think we "sent" amyone to America.