britishgunlaws

In 1997 the British Parliament decided that the private ownership of
handguns in Britain had to be absolutely banned. The law was
passed and the handguns were surrendered. Several years later we
find that the ban on private ownership has brought nothing but
trouble. That's the finding of an independent report to be published
today. The report says that, since the nationwide ban on handguns
went into effect, the number of crimes committed with firearms has
jumped 40 percent.

Think about it. The British government banned large-caliber pistols
after the shootings at Dunblane Primary School in March 1996. But
the Labour Party, after winning the general election in 1997,
expanded the ban to include smaller-caliber pistols as well. The
government collected about 160,000 guns from its citizens.
According to the London Telegraph, the law is now so restrictive that
British Olympic shooting competitors have to go abroad to practice,
because their target guns are now illegal in their home country.

British citizens and legislators are learning the hard way that
criminals don't obey firearms laws. Only law-abiding citizens will.
The criminals will hold on to their guns while the government
confiscates legally owned guns.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles - where it's nearly impossible to obtain
a license to carry a concealed weapon - serious crimes are still on
the rise. Citywide, serious crimes have jumped 4.9 percent this
year, and across the San Fernando Valley, they've risen 6.5 percent.
Homicides in the Valley have increased 21.1 percent through the
end of June.

Just south of Los Angeles County we have Orange County, where it
is much easier to obtain a permit to carry a gun. Guess what? Crime
rates are down in Orange County.

How long will the left ignore the facts and promote their anti-Second
Amendment agenda in this country before the media actually start
telling us the truth?

Just chew on this one for a while. When it comes to obtaining
permits to carry concealed weapons in the U.S. there are three
general types of States. No issue, may issue and shall issue. In "no
issue" states you can't get a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
"May issue" states "may" issue a permit if you meet certain criteria,
but there's no legal guarantee. "Shall issue" states must issue you a
concealed weapons permit if you meet the criteria.

Now - what about murder and violent crime rates in these three
types of states? Government crime statistics show that violent crime
rates (murder, robbery, rape, assault) are highest in the "no issue"
states and lowest in the "shall issue" states. Now, just when have
you read THOSE figures in your local newspaper?

Neal Boortz is the hugely popular nationally syndicated radio host.