Law, Crime & Justice

» BillStephens - Gun control

For a start we really have to do something about cutting down on the number of handguns out there. Certainly, firearms are dangerous in the hands of criminals, but they can be just as deadly in the hands of ordinary citizens. Every year thousands of children become the victims of accidental shootings. Quarrels that might have petered leaving only a few bad feelings in their wake, often take an irrevocable and deadly turn when a handgun is accessible. Programs where bounties are paid when guns are turned into police are a great idea and should be supported wherever possible.

A police detective I once interviewed pointed out the deadly nature of handguns in a manner that has always stuck with me. He pointed out that handguns made killing almost effortless. He used the expression "Murder by Mail", meaning killing another human being was easier than licking a stamp and dropping an envelope in a mailbox.

-- posted by BillStephens

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» aemontague - Gun control

No one knows the number of unregistered handguns and restricted guns on the streets or tucked away, often forgotten, in people's attics or closets.

We in North America have laws with stiff penalties proscribing criminal and unsafe use of firearms. We also have laws covering illegal possession of firearms, but penalties are light. Stiffened possession laws, when combined with aggressive voluntary disposal programs, have shown some positive results. Such programs should be well-publicized, ongoing, and nation wide. They may not stop criminals but they'll sure help us tell the good guys from the bad guys.

-- posted by aemontague

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» crepuscule - Corrections activism

i agree that gun control is important, but i feel very much as thoreau does, that for every thousand hacking at the branches of crime only one is attacking the roots. we have to get to those roots. i have a friend, a former forensic psychologist, who tells me that the prisons are house populations that are truly unreformable. for those incarceration is necessary. and i'm supposing that a portion of the population elects gun crime as an occupation as i might become a druggist or as joe might become a doctor. but a huge portion of the "criminal" population enjoys the position of jean valjean in hugo's 'les miserables,' the criminal by official designation. for this portion of the population hacking out the roots of criminal behaviour is essential. and it is done through social responsibility. the conservatives seem to believe that they can eradicate crime by building more prisons. i think we can do it by social remedies, by economic opportunity and by education.

-- posted by crepuscule

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» aemontague - Corrections activism

In a perfect world, there would probably be perfect remedies for crime.Indeed, there would not be any crime, therefore no need for remedies. As a society, as a culture, as human beings, we are less than perfect. Cynical though it may sound, chasing perfection is a Sisyphean exercise. We can't even agree on what perfection may be.

That said, rather than go round and round on the issue, we must deal with the reality that's in our face. Crime is here to stay, and its incidence is rising. Law enforcement is the finger in the dike. Community awareness (and vigilance) is the dike itself. So, we truck on, not to say we won't seek ways to abate the flood.

-- posted by aemontague

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» woorama - free gun

what about what i heard about a free gun with every new account a bank was offering in your country?

and what about the fact that 95% of all shootings are from someone you know, rather than some mysterious "criminal", who, let's face it, most of you yanks are imagining as black? surely this would indicate that a reduction in mainstream access to firearms would be a good thing?

c'mon, people! guns are for pussies. i don't even use them when hunting. get yourself a good spear, a good knife, and become a man!

but that's only my point of view. i respect your's also, and don't advocate a separation of "good and evil" like you and george w bush do. you go your way, brother, and i'll go mine. peace be with you!

-- posted by woorama

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» aemontague - free gun

Out of curiosity I’d like to know the location and name of the U.S. bank offering free guns to new accounts. If a bank tried that in Canada, where I live, its doors would be instantly padlocked and its manager tossed in jail. The same would also happen in some U.S. states.

I suppose hyperbole has a place in human discourse. Politicians use it a lot and average people use it to express righteous indignation. That’s cool as long as people recognize it for what it is and temper it with reason. Issues around guns can sure stir hyperbole. Then there’s some odd facts.

Here’s one. The FBI has reported that 40% of reported apprehensions of house burglars have been carried out by victims holding guns on the perps until police arrive.

Here’s another. Here in Canada a recent poll showed two out of three Canadians want a national gun registry even though they know their government has already piddled away many tens of millions of dollars in a flawed attempt to establish one.

So, there’s confusion aplenty. Take Britain, a country with a long-standing gun ban. The weapons violence rate didn’t change appreciably, but a lot more people got knifed. That’s changing now, because more and more illegal guns are reaching the country’s streets. I seem to recall reading somewhere that Switzerland has a very low crime rate. Could it be because able-bodied citizens undergo mandatory military training, after which they are obliged to keep a gun in their homes?

Hard to say, but it has a ring of feasibility to it.

Let’s forget guns for a moment and get on to something I heard the other day – a guy tried to rob a convenience store, threatening the clerk with a garden spade. The garden spade was unregistered. Does that suggest anything?

Responsible people are good guys. Irresponsible people are bad guys. This has nothing to do with good or evil. This has to do with common sense in a civilized society.

-- posted by aemontague

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