Quote Originally Posted by Mad Lews View Post
Getting this back on track
I think the easiest answer to the debate is to look at violent crime statistics in the US.
You will quickly note that crime rates are invariably higher in areas that have the strictest gun control laws.
The question then becomes are the strict laws the result of high crime rates, or are the high crime rates the result of a disarmed populous?
...and taking a look internationally tells us that it's a more complicated issue than that. There's a strong link between violent crime and poverty. Guns don't seem to have an impact on the likelihood of crime taking place. All guns seem to do is indicate what kinds of wounds victims and perpetrators of violent crime are likely to have once the deeds been done.

There's a strong statistical correlation between the more devoutly religious people in an area are, the more likely they are to murder each other. In spite of these statistics, I don't believe for a second there's a link.

There's a difference between correlation, link and causality.

I think it's better to take it down on a more philosophical level. What is a gun, and what can a gun do? I think that a down and out person with nothing to lose isn't likely to be deterred by guns....or anything. If they would get a job they could stop being desperate losers on the bottom rungs of society. Which is hard to do if a bullet in your spine put you in a wheel chair.

Just speculating here....