>and 95%. So, my argument is complete: the per-capita murder rate
>in the US is between 10 and 50 times higher than in other developed
>nations, and the slack can almost entirely be taken up by firearms.
>
>My conclusion: if a society has easy access firearms, they will be
>used to cause many more murders than would occur without the easy
>access.
I am not sure about those numbers. But permit me to suggest that your
phrase "a society" begs several questions. For better or worse, some
would argue that the culture of West J'bipp is substantially different
from the culture of Compton or Miami.
I think the "slack" you mention might be taken up _there_: I'd believe
a 1-to-10 ratio in murder rates between Early, Nebraska and
Washington, DC. Are they one society, just because they both pay taxes
to a government that may have complicity in running crack to the
latter, and not to the former? Anit-racist-tarbrush observation:
Farrakhan (whom I deprecate) and Spike Lee (whom I do not) have asked
the same kind of questions.
Further, America has the highest incarceration rate with the stupidest
parole/mandatory time policies. Try factoring *that* in and you may
see another contributing factor or two emerge.
>You can try drawing other conclusions, such as "the government will
>find it much easier to impose unpopular violations of freedom", and
>you may be right. And that may indeed be a good reason to allow
>citizens to be armed. I DO NOT ARGUE THAT POINT.
Thank you.
>However, if you think that there's no price, in the form of blood on
>the streets and in homes, for allowing citizens to be armed, you are
>misguided, for the facts are clearly against you. "The price of
>freedom is eternal vigilance." Perhaps to that we should add, "and
>some extra blood in the form of societal violence."
Absolutely. Bullies and fools don't go away. There is always a price
for every real choice.
MMB
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