[Sternjaeger II]

Originally Posted by winny

Number of Police officers killed in the UK since 1900 = Around 160.

Number of Police officers killed in the USA last year = Around 150.
(150 seems to be the average per year, the 70's averaged around the 190/200 mark)

So? I still don't get how this is related to the possession of firearms.

I don't want guns completely legalised in my country just because someone wants to collect them. Or gets off on shooting stuff..

Well that's very selfish, discriminatory and anti-democratic of you, and again, you can still legally detain and use firearms in this country. What if tomorrow they told you "we're banning videogames because they incite violence", would you be cool with that? And what's next? Uh yeah I tell you what, the Government proposed to BLOCK all social networks in case of further riots! Ha! Anything else? Shall we also lube our backholes? Why is the law abiding citizen that need to pay for the deficiencies of our policing system? Wake up!!!

If someone wanted to attack me with a knife I'd at least be close enough to defend myself.

yeah, if the person is bigger and stronger than you you don't stand a bloody chance. Ever heard the saying "don't bring a knife to a gunfight"?

I've had a gun pulled on me twice in my life, I still don't feel the need to own one.

Unfortunately I had the same experience in civilian life (won't even bother mentioning the military one), but this has nothing to do with the right to legally own arms. In one of the occasions of civilian life I had my Glock 23 in .40S&W with me, but I didn't do anything stupid because there was a lot of children and people in the supermarket as it was getting robbed. I'm afraid that, like many other cases, you're just afraid of something you actually don't know anything about.

Originally Posted by nearmiss

The right to bear arms is written into US constitution. If your country has no such right, that is what it.

If you have rights and they are written in a contract with the people of your nation you should respect those contracts with the people enough to know those rights are substantial. You should never yield up any of your rights for the so-called common good.

Historically, enforcement of law was never a problem in Britain.

Yeah, Northern Ireland was just a little accident

The ultimate authority is based in the reprisal of the law, so to speak. It doesn't matter if a Bobbie had a gun, authorities for centuries have put criminals into dreadful prisons, made indentured servants out them, put them into the tower...etc. An accusation was enough to make the worst of the lot tremble.

Nowadays, liberal and so-called equitable treatment of criminals with lesser punishments will require Bobbie to have a gun or he'll get wasted.
When the authority and enforcement of law at the highest levels is compromised the tougher it will be for the man on the street.

Fact is... you will see more Bobbie with guns. Only when criminal punishments becomes extremely severe will you see a casual policeman walking and whistling along the lane, swinging his club like a band leaders baton.

the really shocking thing is hearing the police forces of London, one of the most important cities in the world, which has been subject to terroristic attacks in the past and is gonna host the 2012 olympics, that they were not ready cos they didn't expect something like that to happen.. seriously?!?! You call that a police force?!?! Again, good luck if the world goes upside down..