U.K.:Less Guns = Higher Crime Rates

Britain. They have some of the toughest gun laws in the world, and anti-gun proponents would claim that could only lead to positive results, right?

Wrong. According to the UK’s Daily Telegraph who filed for a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) to obtain the figures, the results for those advocating looser gun restriction laws could not be better.

The report shows in Britain at least one in three police forces have seen an increase in either gun or knife offenses in the last year.

“Force by force statistics obtained under the Freedom of Information have raised fears that Government initiatives to tackle gun and knife crime in the worst hit areas—mainly urban forces—has left the problem grow in rural areas.”

Twenty-two forces responded to the FOIA, out of that 12 saw a rise in either gun or knife crime in the 12 months up to September 2009. Eight of the forces saw an 18 percent increase in offenses involving a knife or sharp object. In North Yorkshire alone, offenses increased from 520 to 740.

While homicide rates have fallen in Britain with the tough gun ban, police have said the main reason could be due to “skilled paramedics and improved medicine than any suggestion Britain is becoming less violent.”

Now, an anti-gun propopenent would read that last line and say, “See! Homicide rates have fallen, you’re completely misleading people and lying about gun bans! You’re probably a paid operative of the NRA!”

Not so fast, do-gooder. Let’s take a look at the United States, shall we?

In the US, gun ownership skyrocketed in recent years. As gun ownership soars, homicide rates are falling drastically- even MSNBC (painfully) acknowledged this (but not until the third and final page of their report).-[source]