tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post7070554747683258245..comments2024-01-23T16:53:02.428+00:00Comments on Mark Thompson: There can never be a "right time" to debate gun controlMark Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00744387583593537268noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-86636108722480443872012-12-16T15:59:56.499+00:002012-12-16T15:59:56.499+00:00@knirirr: I don't necessarily think a blanket ...@knirirr: I don't necessarily think a blanket ban is warranted but I definitely think this subject should be debated in the cold hard light of day trying to strip out the vested interests. Which definitely is not happening at the moment.<br /><br />I'd be happy to see them go with what the evidence suggests. I suspect it will not suggest carrying on in exactly the way they have been with regards to guns.<br />Mark Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00744387583593537268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-17224897599037252882012-12-16T13:38:32.698+00:002012-12-16T13:38:32.698+00:00The problem I find with statements such as yours i...The problem I find with statements such as yours is that they appear to be a demand simply for gun bans, which are likely to be swingeing and illiberal as happened in the UK in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearms_(Amendment)_(No._2)_Act_1997" rel="nofollow">1998</a>, using grief as leverage. Of course, I might be mistaken in your case. <br /><br />There's clearly something going on in the US which is contributing to these incidents, and knowing what it is and being able to prevent them is necessary. But, if it's not simply the presence of more firearms (and I suspect it isn't) that's the cause, then bans would be of limited use. Amongst the many blog posts on this topic at the moment there are often mentions of the poor state of US mental health care, which needs addressing. The manner in which the press covers these incidents may well have a lot to do with it as well, but I'm not aware of any serious research that discusses these latter two factors (if you know any, please let me know!). <br /><br />If you've not already seen it then <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guns-Violence-The-English-Experience/dp/0674016084" rel="nofollow">this book</a> might well be of interest. Although it omits some recent developments in the US (the book was published in 2004) it gives a fascinating discussion of the link between violent crime and guns, one conclusion being that there is not necessarily a link either way between guns and crime rates.knirirrhttp://www.twitter.com/knirirrnoreply@blogger.com