Armed police in London ...

[Purplehood]

If they keep going on that way, barbarians armed with 2x4's could over take the UK.

The Brits, in their current state of dissolution, would respond by banning the possession of lumber.

Are those the same guys I see on TV with bearded children trying to sell us Credit Cards?

[TxDrifter]

And I'm a Brit - who feels much safer in Texas, thanks very much :-)

I have friend who is also from the UK and she agrees with that as well. She has her carry permit and shoots either a Kimber Ultra CDP or a Beretta 92F. Even if you narrow it down to the US I am still glad I am in Texas. I travel to the NY/NJ area and California regularly and I feel "nekked" when I go to those places without my handgun. It is amazing how quickly it becomes a routine part of getting dressed.

[RHenriksen]

This is fascinating & very educational! Thank you.

Excaliber is correct; UK crime numbers are solved, not reported. The UK govt compare the US and UK crime numbers directly (without mentioning they are apples and oranges) to 'demonstrate' that the UK has a much lower crime rate than the US, when it does not. The crime clear-up rate was 13-15% the last time I looked up the statistic, equating to a 6.5x factor that should be built into the UK numbers to (start to) correct them to US numbers. Furthermore, due to the definition of violent crime differing between the UK and US, there are some crime types that are considered 'violent' in the US, but not the UK, resulting in another under-reporting bias for the UK. Also, strings of crimes in a localized area - like if there a bunch of apartments in one building broken into in the same afternoon, or if several cars parked together are vandalized - are lumped together as a single criminal act (once they actually bust someone for it, that is).

Once you drill into the data, and correct it to account for the difference in capture and analysis, the UK numbers are quite a bit higher than the US.

I also believe that when the US vs UK numbers are compared within a discussion about gun control, the US numbers should have the data for locations that have UK-style gun laws pulled out. Doing a straight UK vs US comparison to make a point about gun control is misleading if you have data from, say, New York and Washington, D.C - which have UK-style laws - in there. Once you make THAT correction, the UK numbers are scary high. Most of the UK population don't care to investigate these numbers, and don't understand that all of the US states have different gun laws.

And I'm a Brit - who feels much safer in Texas, thanks very much :-)

[Kevinf2349]

Just for the record...I too am an expat, now a US citizen. I have my CHL and carry two pistols.

I don't think I really feel any 'safer' in Texas, but I do feel I am better equipt to deal with a situation should it arise.

Despite what many people are led to believe there are armed police not only in "the Smoke" but also in some of the larger cities. Certainly it is not uncommom to see armed police at airports.....thanks to a little issue with the IRA.

A friend of mine in the police over there is fully trained in firearms and he carries in the trunk of his patrol car. Of course he isn't allowed to discharge his weapon until given orders but ......

The bobbies on the beat usually only carry their truncheons...and if you ever get a chance to see one you would be surprised at the witty comments the people write on them!

The funniest one I saw had BANG! written on it in large letters!

[chabouk]

I remember a joke from my childhood:

English police carry whistles instead of guns. They shout, "Stop, or I'll toot!"

[TxDrifter]

I remember a joke from my childhood:

English police carry whistles instead of guns. They shout, "Stop, or I'll toot!"

Stop it, your killing me. LOL Good one.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZnEpaSOFwk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The above link is 3:09 long and is "Bill Hicks talks about crime in England."
He was a standup comic who died of cancer in 1994.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Hicks" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
A link that will tell you about his life.

There's a few words in it that wouldn't pass the 10 year old daughter rule, so be aware.

He jokes about English hooligans knocking over dustbins in Shaftsbury, but I believe that
English crime has really accelerated since the time of this show.

What would you expect when the bad guys have guns, but the cops don't?

SIA