As opposed to now where the strict UK and Australian gun bans have had very negative outcomes? People armed with small crossbows might still have some self protection capabilities, but the time to nock the arrow, draw and release (or cock and release in the case of a crossbow) still puts you at a major disadvantage over a gun wielding criminal. At any rate, gun crime seems to be cultural. Switzerland makes it a crime not to have an automatic weapon at home, but also has the lowest gun crime rates in Europe.

The UK doesn't have a ban on guns, they require licenses. I'm not sure what the very negative outcomes are. There are a lot less gun deaths in the UK than the US. As far as gun-control in the US goes, that's for the citizens of the US to debate, the history of gun ownership in the US is very different to the UK. Allowing people in the UK the same access to guns as US citizens would be disastrous.

The UK gets singled out together with Japan because those are the two places with the lowest gun death rates in the world and very strict regulation of guns by whatever means. In both of those countries, even run of the mill cops don't necessarily carry guns, something pretty much unheard of in most of the rest of the world.

@DaveHalsall I am not familiar with UK gun laws, but Washington DC essentially banned guns by requiring licenses and then making it nearly impossible to acquire such a license. Is acquiring a license in the UK more than a theoretical possibility?

@MichaelRichardson And no one ever gets shot in DC now... Oh wait. Bans won't work, guns are still going to exist, and members of underground organizations will especially have access for them. Also, "Allowing people in the UK the same access to guns as US citizens would be disastrous." --> Source?

@Thucydides The Swiss have guns, at least until age 30 when they're discharged from military service, but ammo for those guns is kept in a community armory. They can have other guns, and ammo for those guns, but ownership rates for additional weapons are far lower. They've also got the fourth highest gun crime rate in Europe.

So solders finished their conscription no longer keep their assault rifles at home? When did this happen? (Also when did the requirement to keep 200 rounds at home for training and immediate use end?)

Washington DC had banned guns, yet still had one of the highest rates of gun crimes in the US. Chicago has draconian gun control laws, yet has one of the highest rates of shootings in the US as well (over 3000 to date this year alone). Toronto, Canada had a gun crime rate which escalated during the time David Miller was Mayor, despite ever tightening restrictions. What ended the Toronto crime spree was an international police operation which took down the "Shower Posse" criminal gang, not gun restrictions.

@SethWhite I completely agree. My statement likely should have been "Washington DC essentially banned new legal gun owners by making it nearly impossible for a license to be obtained." A "ban" on guns works as well as a "gun-free zone" does. "Law-abiding" citizens follow the law and are unarmed while those whose hands the law is theoretically supposed to keep guns out of, continue to have access to the same weapons that they, usually, illegally obtained anyway.

@Thucydides "As opposed to now where the strict UK and Australian gun bans have had very negative outcomes? " Agreed, as an Australian who has just moved to Dallas I have to say that we do a far worse job of killing our cops. Though I agree that blaming gun laws is a bit stupid. You also have to factor in socialized medicine, great education, social security etc.

Thing about the UK is that police go unarmed unless they are going after a criminal who is armed. Carrying an illegal gun in the UK just means you get taken down by half a dozen armed police, whereas not carrying means you get chased by two guys with truncheons.

@Thucydides As a UK citizen I'm still curious to know what your supposed "very negative outcomes" that you claim I'm experiencing are...

@SethWhite ' Also, "Allowing people in the UK the same access to guns as US citizens would be disastrous." --> Source?' - Me

@SethWhite The overwhelming majority of people in the UK are not interested in owning guns. If it was made much easier to acquire them criminals and terrorists would be amongst the most eager purchasers. When someone thinks of holding up a liquor store in the US, they know there's a good chance that the person behind the counter might have a gun ready. That wouldn't happen in the UK at least until gun crime had become far too common.

But, people here don't want the burden of having to know how to defend themselves with a gun. Football hooligans would probably start carrying guns. Cops would be shot more often. Innocent bystanders would be killed. Guns are so widespread in US society, that gun control may no longer be an effective strategy to reduce the obscene level of violence that such gun prevalence allows. I don't want to see that in my country and I'm far from alone in this opinion.

Chicago has a terrifying rate of gun crimes, but when you drill down through the statistics, only 3 areas in Chicago actually have the most crime; if you were to redact those statistics the rest of Chicago as a whole would have a gun crime rate comparable to Ontario, Canada.