Liberal anti-gunners always use England as the example of what America
could be if we only outlawed guns.  They describe England as a peaceful
civilized low-crime country where the "bobbies" are only armed with a
billy clubs.  Perhaps this was true in the days of Queen Victoria, but
England's violent crime rate is now higher than America's!

The London Daily Mail newspaper says (2/23/2001) that, according to an
international crime report, Britain "has a higher crime rate than any
other rich nation except Australia."  According to this crime report,
3.6 percent of the population of England and  Wales were victims of
violent crime in 1999; in the U.S. only two percent of the population
suffered an assault or robbery.  British Home Secretary Jack Straw is
quoted as saying: "Levels of victimization are higher here than in most
comparable countries for most categories of crime."

As for gun-crime, the British The Observer newspaper has reported
(12/31/2000):

Gun crime in Britain is soaring to record levels: executions, woundings
and related incidents in the past year are set to be the highest ever,
an investigation by The Observer has revealed....  The true figures
could be even higher because victims of many of the most violent gun
crimes are reluctant to involve the authorities....  The use of guns
outside the big towns and cities is rising too....  The number of
illegally held guns is estimated at three million.  As handguns can no
longer be bought or sold legally, the police believe the vast majority
of those coming on to  the market have been smuggled from abroad.

As always, everywhere, every time, and in England as well, gun-control
has disarmed only law-abiding citizens leaving them helpless against
criminals who will always get guns.