Guns Banned in Britain; Crime Soars

In 1997, Britain banned the possession of all handguns, providing for 10 -year prison terms for any Englishman rash enough to get nabbed owning one. The British Government has even prohibited Brits from carrying anything they might use to defend themselves if set upon.

The result of this insanity:

The 1994 arrest of a homeowner for using a toy gun to detain a pair of home invasion burglars;

A British oil company executive was convicted of carrying an "offensive weapon" because he used an ornamental sword to defend himself when he was attacked.

Since Britain banned handguns, or anything that even looks like one, vicious criminals have come out of the woodwork to "prey on law abiding British citizens" wrote Joyce Lee Malcolm in her book "Guns and Violence: The English Experience."

It's been some experience:

During the first two years after the ban went into effect, the criminal use of guns in street crimes soared 40 percent;

During seven months of 2001, armed robberies in London rose an incredible 53 percent (in London these days the chances of getting mugged are six times greater than they are in New York City).

It seems that the Brits are learning the truth of the old saying: "If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns."

Another lesson the British need to learn is that the experience in the U.S. has proven that in pro-gun states where citizens are allowed to carry concealed weapons, crime drops significantly.