BCITORGB wrote:

Weiser says:
==================
The facts are quite clear: In nations where guns are banned,
victimization
by violent criminals increases dramatically. In the United States,
crime
victimization by violent criminals is dropping.
===============

I'll not dispute your sources and data.... except, as you well know,
because you presented this data, the definitions of various sorts of
crimes vary considerably from country to country. What may be deemed an
assault in one country may not be recorded as an assault in another.
Thus, the stats may not be comparable.

Talking about guns, one of the main issues that the NRA and similar
pro-gun organisations here wipe under the carpet is the counting of
bee-bee guns and air rifles under the "fire arms crimes" header in some
countries, that have relatively few firearms crimes overall.

Thus, whether I'm trying to "bend" the debate is hardly the point. The
point is, more or less, a murder, is a murder, is a murder, no matter
where we are on the globe. Murder stats are comparable. The others
aren't.

If you're murdered, it doesn't really matter if you're shot, strangled,
stabbed or killed in one of the multitude of other ways that are
available. The thing with guns is that they make killing someone a lot
bigger, stronger or better able to fight hand to hand than you pretty
easy. That's where the U.S. outranks most western nations: the available
means to kill someone (i.e. guns) are available all over the place in
huge quantities and the people willing to use them are also plentiful.
The result is very high murder rates.

--
Wilko van den Bergh wilko(a t)dse(d o t)nl
Eindhoven The Netherlands Europe
---Look at the possibilities, don't worry about the limitations.---
http://wilko.webzone.ru/