69410
First off, the source you linked to was a conservative think-tank - not a reliable source. The article's sole source, Free Republic, is well-known as an extreme right-wing site. (My personal favorite incident was back in 2009 when the mods declared an openly racist thread in which the Obamas were referred to as "ghetto trash" by virtue of being black and was deemed "not racist" by site moderators until they were forced to take it down due to backlash. A++ quality material.)
So I'm not inclined to trust it. I'd place it somewhere below FOX News on the scale of trustworthiness, actually - that's saying something.
Also, a
2011 UN study disagrees with you.
"Notwithstanding such challenges, a significant body of literature tends to suggest that firearm availability predominantly represents a risk factor rather than a protective factor for homicide." (Page 43)
"In the Philippines it is illegal to own or possess firearms, including ammunition, without the necessary
license or permit, yet official estimates place the number of firearms at some 360,000 registered and approximately 1.1 million “loose” (never registered or with expired licences) firearms.
"Philippines National Police (PNP) records show that from 2004 to 2009, the proliferation of loose firearms increased by 46 per cent, a figure that is close to the 47 per cent increase in recorded crimes using firearms in the same period.
"During a gun ban enforced for the election period during the first six months of 2010, the PNP claimed a 67 per cent drop in index crime (murder, homicide, physical
injury, robbery, theft and rape) compared with the equivalent period in 2009, and linked this with the gun ban." (Page 47)
Also, if you look at the chart on page 116 you'll see that the firearm ban has helped lower the amount of firearm homicides most years in the UK (with the notable exception of 2001, and several that showed no significant change).
Your "right" to own a gun does NOT supersede my right to live a safe life.
