Would Banning Firearms Reduce Murder and Suicide? A Review of International Evidence

bepress Legal Repository ^ | 2007 | Gary A. Mauser, Simon Fraser University

[G Larry]

Uh....What was the murder and suicide rate before there were firearms?

[Greysard]

Knives and swords throughout most of human history were tools of men, and not all men but aristocracy and soldiers. Women used poisons and daggers. An oppressive government can ban long swords, for example, but a poison is neither detectable (prior to use) nor attributable to a specific person. A poison can kill within seconds or within months, and in latter case it may well masquerade as some strange illness.

Another poster mentioned that whoever has a murderous intent only needs to think long and hard, and a way will be found. Our ancestors killed each other very successfully before firearms became available to a common man. There are always substitute weapons, anything from a date rape drug to a lead pipe to an overdose of an illegal drug to even a bottle of Molotov’s Cocktail. Many a king were killed with nothing more than a pillow. Should we ban pillows now?

A rational man should not worry about a theoretical possibility of being killed by a psycho. First, it’s rare, and secondly you can’t do anything about it, especially if you are not armed. But if you can fight back it definitely improves the chances.

[wastedyears]

Anybody that honestly believes this is an absolute moron.

[wastedyears]

I don’t know about you, but mine are perfectly in order.

Oh wait, you’re not talking about that...

[GOPJ]

LOL

[cmotormac44]

“-—you broke the liberal code, now you will have to be terminated—”

guess it is about time to go—at 85+, five years WW2 service time,8 kids and 34 grands and greats,I have served my time-—won’t be able to stand much more of this liberal, leftie age in any event-—cheers

[Rudder]

Hang in there ol’ timer, the best is yet to come.

[Joe Brower]

"Our conclusion from the available data is that suicide, murder and violent crime rates are determined by basic social, economic and/or cultural factors with the availability of any particular one of the world’s myriad deadly instrument being irrelevant"

Wow. Imagine that.

[wardaddy]

hear hear

[abishai]

Oddly, his last name is Mauser.

[wardaddy]

an incredible piece of work

[Centurion2000]

I once had a bumper sticker; “If they outlaw guns, can we use swords?” (Member of SCA back then). England banned guns. Now, with some high profile murders with swords, they are thinking of banning swords ... and long knives, and bats ...

Not thinking anymore. They have banned production katanas and other swords unless you get certain exceptions for nihonto (real japanese made blades) and other things like a registered martial artist.

England is lost. I expect Prince Charles and William are probably secret muslims.

[B4Ranch]

Ok specifically, what’s wrong?

[proudofthesouth]

We need to take the power and control BACK from our politicians.

(Yeah, like thats going to happen! /s )

[Blood of Tyrants]

I have yet to see a genocide or systematic mass murder where the population as a whole has widespread access to firearms.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

No.

[Poetgal26]

Me too, me too!

[Poetgal26]

Me too, me too!

[wastedyears]

What’s wrong with what?

[B4Ranch]

“Anybody that honestly believes this is an absolute moron.”, your words.