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Re: Firemen shot dead in another gun crime
12/27/12 09:02 AM
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> http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=17847 > > While a gun ban may decrease gun related crimes, other types of crimes can increase > since victims don't have a way to defend themselves. > > I realize "guns" aren't the only option for self defense, but there are times when > lethal force is required to protect yourself or someone else.
That's bullshit. Sexual assault covers far more than just rape. WIlfully exposing yourself to someone who doesn't want to see can count as sexual assault, as well as hundreds of other things. Claiming "Australian women are now raped over three times as often as American women" by treating sexual assault in Australia as equivalent to rape in US shows that they're willing to play fast and loose with data to get soundbites that support the conclusion they want. (Besides which, the increase in sexual assault charges in recent years here can be largely attributed to broader legal definitions of sexual assault being introduced, and better victim support leading to a higher proportion of offences being reported.)
edit: According to Wikipedia, the NCPA is an "American conservative think tank whose goals are to develop and promote private alternatives to government regulation and control" - hardly the kind of group you could expect to be unbiased.
edit again: Even if violent crime has increased here we still have a far lower murder rate than the US - you have over four times the murder rate per capita. If guns are readily available, it's easy for someone to snap and kill someone. No amount of training will prevent that. If someone snaps, by definition they are not acting rationally. It's also easier for mentally unstable people to get guns, and if they're determined, they will get them.
Edited by Vas Crabb (12/27/12 09:10 AM)
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