Knife control?/Gun control

[Peela]

I am not going to wade through all the pro and con responses, but I like to share with people on this issue that here in Australia where we have very tight gun laws, we simply dont have the crime level that the U.S. has.

I can imagine if I was born and brought up in a country where anyone could own a gun, and the crime rate was high, I might want the right to own a gun too, to protect myself. (Actually, I personally wouldn't, but I can understand the mentality). But just to share the perspective of someone who has been born and brought up in a country where by far most people do not have guns, there is a strong vibe here that we prefer the laws this way and we vote in our government, and I doubt a government would have much popularity if it wanted to allow much looser gun laws. Yes, occasionally there are gun crimes, and very occasionally, a bad one. But it is not common.

So to some extent, I really think it's what you are used to and the environment you are brought up in that colours your perspective.

By the way, when guns laws were a little looser here, before I was with him, my dh had many guns. However, now, as a family man, he also is glad the laws are strict against gun ownership.

I would say the knife crime in Japan is to do with the high competition and stress level in that country, and perhaps it is the same in the U.S. with guns. Of course, there are deeper issues than "gun" or "no guns". Stress is a result of fear, and under it all is a lot of fear, driving people's responses to things that happen to them. It's complex.

[Peek a Boo]

I would say the knife crime in Japan is to do with the high competition and stress level in that country, and perhaps it is the same in the U.S. with guns. Of course, there are deeper issues than "gun" or "no guns". Stress is a result of fear, and under it all is a lot of fear, driving people's responses to things that happen to them. It's complex.

 

well, i disagree that stress is [blanket statement] a result of FEAR.

 

"bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium"

 

Stress is simply an indication that more is being required of someone in some manner. There's obviously a pretty big difference in the global impact of each country, so how this [guns/ no guns] works in the varying countries is more than just a matter of crime rate :).