07-11-2016, 08:50 AM
(07-09-2016, 06:23 PM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote:(07-09-2016, 05:40 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: Switzerland according to the stats I've seen has more gun deaths and violence than other developed countries, although the USA is far ahead of Switzerland in that dubious distinction. Americans and Swiss alike are fools to allow citizens to have military weapons. I'm not sure just what exactly the Swiss are allowed to have tho; not taking Galen's word. I imagine though that if Swiss citizens are part of the "militia" which is their armed forces, then they are well trained and regulated. Our militia here in the USA? We've seen pictures of them....
People might want to visit Wiki's list of countries by international homicide rate. I plucked out a few numbers in homicides per 100,000 population.
Switzerland 0.5 in 2010
Europe as a whole, 3.0
The United States, 3.9 in 2013
The US Virgin Islands, 52.6 in 2010 !!!
Switzerland is often mentioned by the gun rights activists as it is extreme case of a heavily armed country having a very good homicide rate. Israel is another such country often mentioned. The militia system can work, and did work in the United States as well for quite some time. What it isn't is a model that can be copied trivially. Switzerland has an unusual culture. The militia system has been part of it for quite some time. Putting Switzerland's military structure and weapons laws in place in a country without their culture and traditions isn't apt to result in the sort of homicide numbers Switzerland sees. I also can't see a country moving to a militia system unless there is a threat that is well answered by a militia. Even in rural areas in the United States with strong gun cultures, do you think people will want to give up weekends to train up when there are no real threats suitable for a militia response?
I'd note that the United States isn't that far behind Europe in this point. At one point we were around 10, significantly higher than Europe, and a lot of the gun prohibitionist propaganda was written in that time. Some don't keep up with the numbers and continue to say we're well behind Europe. Homicide rates are not determined solely by gun policy. Drug, race and wealth inequality are major factors, often dominating gun policy. In fact, the homicide rate for non-blacks in the United State is entirely compatible with Europe. We're right smack dab in the center of their bell curve. Our problem is drugs, race and wealth inequality, not gun policy.
And what is it with the US Virgin Islands? A quick trip around the web says they have large drug problems. Again, people shouldn't look at homicide rates and blame everything on gun policy. Drugs, economics and race shouldn't be ignored.
The issue that I am concerned with is the increasing mass killings of people completely unconnected to the killer(s). I am not pushing a civilian ban on military weapon platforms to stop all homicides, crime, illegal drug use, suicides or the common cold.
There are a myriad of reasons why these mass killings are initiated in some places and not in others that has nothing to do with gun restrictions, but the gun restrictions are ways to limit the carnage where and when the killings are initiated. The right ingredients for mass killings being initiated may not happen in Switzerland, but should they, the ready access to automated weapons will likely mean very high kill numbers.