Banning guns doesn't prevent criminals from getting them anyway. Who knew?

[CARLHAYDEN]

Even if handguns were still legal here it would be highly illegal to smuggle them in from America.

Hmm.

While I must admit be being an enthusiast for the 1911A1, I must also admit that many of the world's finest semiautomatic pistols come from central Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic).

Seems like it would be easier to smuggle them in from the continent.

Oh, and if a Peshawar tribesman can manufacture a highly functional semiautomatic pistol with hand tools, I suspect that there just might be some Brits left with the competence to replicate such performance.

[CARLHAYDEN]

Oh, and if a Peshawar tribesman can manufacture a highly functional semiautomatic pistol with hand tools, I suspect that there just might be some Brits left with the competence to replicate such performance.

I also believe there's some knock-off Kalashnikov makers in that part of the world.

They make just about anything there with hand tools.

Heck, a few years ago a kid made a 'slap-shot' shotgun in shop class in thirty minutes using commonly available materials.

[CARLHAYDEN]

The number of people murdered in the US per capita each year appears to be about three times higher than in the UK. I don't know how many of the murders are committed using guns though.

Once again, you need to factor in the rather different composition of the population in the United States for a realistic comparison.

http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/data/table_43.html

Let me give you a chance to clarify, Carl. Are you actually suggesting that the United States has a higher crime rate than the United Kingdom because there are more black people here? Really?

No.

Please reread what I posted.

'Crime' rates are really pretty soft numbers, whereas "murder and nonnegligent homocide" numbers are (while imperfect), far more reliable numbers.

Now, I gave you the url, which has the numbers.

The math really isn't too difficult.

Do you need a url for the U.S. population to use?