Britain’s Newest Epidemic

By Gerard Valentino

The knife violence in Britain has reached epidemic proportions according to an article at Dailymail.co.uk, an online news agency in England.

From the story:

SIX stabbed to death in just 24 hours as Blade Britain's knife epidemic spirals out of control

The scourge of knife crime gripping Britain has reached new depths with six murders across the country in less than 24 hours.

Four of the killings were in London in an appalling day of bloodshed.

Americans recognize the sensational headlines and use of the term epidemic to describe the actions of common criminals because of articles by the U.S. media that use the same format but vilify guns instead of knives. The nature of this type of news reporting makes it obvious they are used to sway public opinion against guns, or knives or the use of self-defense by the average citizen.

When Britain outlawed guns (and self-defense), their elected officials claimed that the impending domestic tranquility would make them the envy of the world.

Gun-rights activists in the United States knew better and made the now vindicated argument that it would not stop criminals from plying their deadly trade. Without guns to blame, the media in Britain has started to warm of the dangers of citizens with knives. Clearly ignoring the obvious fact that regardless of whether the tool is a gun, knife, computer or well executed con-game, there are people in society willing to prey on others.

It’s become tedious to remind everyone that outlawing guns only disarms law abiding people, or that when guns are outlawed it means people don’t have a way to justifiably defend their life. Still, someone has to point out how often the media and anti-self defense crusaders get things wrong. To leave their claims unchallenged has the consequence of giving their silly ideas a sense of credibility.

We also have to wonder why anti-gun crusaders still have a voice in the media and with elected officials despite how often their well documented failures. One possible reason is the apathy of gun owners and the self-defense minded. Buckeye Firearms Association Chairman Jim Irvine tells anyone who will listen that if every gun owner spent a mere 10 minutes each year fighting for gun rights we would never fear losing them.

He’s right on the money with his observation.

We know there are only a handful of anti-gun advocates in the entire state of Ohio, yet they are able to have an effect because they all work to push their immoral agenda. We can call their agenda immoral because it takes away the ability of the defenseless in society to protect their life. There is almost nothing more immoral than enabling the predator while disabling the prey.

But, these are the same people who argue that if we just make something illegal criminals will stop doing it. Clinging to such a backwards idea shows how little their way of thinking has in common with the realities of everyday life.

The knife related violence taking place in Britain after guns were outlawed was easy to predict. Outlawing something is never going to make criminals stop doing it, and thinking otherwise is living in a world of misguided dreams. Just like the knife control laws suggested in England’s political circles show a lack of realistic thinking.

Somehow the abysmal failure of gun control hasn’t forced the anti-self defense crowd from giving up on their schemes to outlaw self defense. We can only guess what they will go when toothpick related attacks skyrocket, or what schemes they will concoct to combat the epidemic of rock crime.

The other unspoken part of the problem is that criminals in Britain still have guns, since as predicted only the law abiding population turned them in to the government.

Yet, the safety driven crusaders in society simply don’t see that it is impossible to create legislation that will sweep away criminal behavior. That leaves one option for decreasing England’s astronomical crime rate - find a way to dissuade criminal behavior. In the real world there are only two successful means of achieving that goal. Either put the violent offender in prison or let the thug make the mistake of picking an armed victim who is willing to do the right thing.

Historically, efforts at rehabilitation have largely failed in Western society with recidivism rates routinely over 90%. Once a person starts on the path to a life of violent crime it is nearly impossible to end their criminal ways.

Regardless of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, anti-gun crusaders think simply making gun ownership illegal, or making criminal ownership of guns more illegal is the answer. Another bad idea brought forth by those who see self-defense as a crime, and who are driven by a complete lack of connection to reality.

In their shallow minds common sense definitively means that more guns will equal more crime.

The problem with their argument is that nearly all anti-gunners are bereft of enough sense to make common sense effective. They are also used to getting their own way since the amazing success they had in the early years of their movement. Losing isn’t part of their equation which explains the hue and cry they let loose after the recent Supreme Court ruling that finally defined the Second Amendment as an individual right.

Gerard Valentino is the Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair and writes for the ValentinoChronicle.com.