Glenn Reynolds’ half truths

Posted by | December 02, 2002 | crime | No Comments

Glenn Reynold’s quotes a story from the UK’s Daily Telegraph.
Fewer guns: more crime

The ‘fewer guns’ is Glenn’s addition, and conclusion to explain the UK’s growing crime rate (incidentally the numbers of guns are also on the increase in the UK – but I don’t need to go into that).

From the same newspaper:

“Robberies in America are much more likely to be at gunpoint, which is one reason why the murder rate is much higher. The main reason for a much lower burglary rate in America is householders’ propensity to shoot intruders. They do so without fear of being dragged before courts and jailed for life.

If American tourists coming to Britain are frightened of being murdered, a rare crime in any case, it is much less likely to happen in London than in any American city… Murder is the most likely cause of death in young men, who are 50 times more likely to be killed in Washington than in London, mainly because guns are so easy to obtain.”

Remember Sweden and the Netherlands have higher crime rates than the US – but the US is a much more violent place to be.

Fewer guns: fewer murders, QED.