Quote:
Originally Posted by Webby
Stats? Na.. stats are known on this and keep repeating themselves every year. Can't remember (tho they are published on the net) - the gun crime rate exceeds all of the EU, UK, Japan plus a few other regions. Would need to check, but around 11,000 in the US and nothing like that in these regions combined.
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The stats I was referring to, and what I thought our discussion had turned to specifically, was the # of domestic violence incidents in which a firearm was involved compared to those without one. No way can those involving firearms possibly be comparable to those without - my point being that in a situation such as that (which you gave as an example) any weapon at hand will be utilized, the presence of a firearm isn't going to make it any more or less likely to occur.
As far as your point about police being "outgunned" by criminals with more sophisticated weapons - this is mostly a misconception on the part of people unfamiliar with firearms. There is the odd incident with a criminal obtaining a fully automatic machine gun, however it is exceedingly rare that police are faced with one; even then, returning a spray of fire on full-auto is not usually the best approach. Those weapons are almost impossible to obtain legally here without getting special permits and paying well into the 5 figure range, and the gov't keeps close tabs on their sales - so legal availability isn't an issue, as they are already effectively banned.
Most other halfway-decent quality modern firearms are on a fairly level playing field with one another in any typical situation. Police like to get new equipment though, and claiming they are "outgunned" is a good way to obtain new firearms. Many of them still prefer using more traditional and proven technology (such as a simple revolver which is more reliable), which negates the idea that a more sophisticated firearm is going to be more effective in a typical law enforcement situation.