The Woolwich attack: The Effect of a Gunless society

On 23 May 2013, a man named Michael Adelbolajo, a British citizen of African and islamic origin, along with his companion, ran over a British solder in South London, got down from the car, and hacked and decapitated the soldier to death. The incident was caught by a bystander on video, where the attackers, with bloody hands and meat cleaver and knives, are seen as speaking to the camera justifying their attack. All the while 50 bystanders stood by watching doing nothing. In spite of the efforts of one brave woman who tried to pacify and disarm the attackers, the attackers held reign and refused to desist for minutes after. London police were likewise present and did nothing except to call for armed back up since apparently these first responders had no guns. In short, the people present at the scene were helpless and terrified in the face of two knife wielding terrorists.The UK frequently touts itself proudly as a gun free society. Since the enforced national gun ban in 1997 in the wake of the Dunblane shooting, British citizens have by and large been disarmed by their leftist government, save for a few hunting shotguns which must legally be kept locked up and unloaded. Now a gun free zone, London strictly prohibits the carrying of any type of gun by civilians - even some of its own police. As we can see, this misled policy has led to disastrous, if not interesting, results: 50 bystanders including police, could not do anything to stop the two attackers who were armed with bladed weapons.  Continue Reading

Britain, the gold standard for gun control

Once again, gun control debates are raging in the United States and now, in the Philippines. Every time there is talk about restricting firearms, anti-gun advocates love wheeling out Great Britain as some sort of gold standard. The old narrative should be familiar: The United States, with 90 guns for every 100 citizens, is the most heavily armed society in the world. As a result of Americans' stubborn love of their right to bear arms, its cities have become mired in violence, gang shootings and school massacres. Britain, on the other hand, known as having among the strictest gun laws in the world, is a far safer society. Gun crime in the UK is minuscule compared to America and its crime rate is much lower. Reinforcing this view are the recent spate of mass shootings in the US, together with the announcement that homicide in Britain is at a 30-year low. Continue Reading