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From: mike@erix.UUCP (Mike Williams)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Bastille... actually about gun control
Message-ID: <702@erix.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 7-Dec-84 07:31:31 EST
Article-I.D.: erix.702
Posted: Fri Dec  7 07:31:31 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 10-Dec-84 02:18:04 EST
References: <128@decwrl.UUCP>
Reply-To: mike@erix.UUCP (Mike Williams)
Organization: L M Ericsson, Stockholm, Sweden
Lines: 17
Summary: 

Most countries in Western Europe have restrictions concerning the private
ownership of guns. In some countries (eg Britain) even the police don't carry 
guns. The result of this is that statistics show that far fewer people die by 
shooting in Europe than do in the USA. To most Europeans the restrictions on 
gun ownership seems sane and sensible. There may be people in Europe who
advocate the private ownership of guns but I am sure that they represent a 
small minority. 

Most Western Europeans regard the semi religious fury with which the gun
lobbies in the USA defend the right of private individuals to own guns with 
bewilderment. The only explanation which I can see for this religious fervour 
is that violence is culturaly more acceptable in the USA than it is in Europe.
Can this really be true? I know many Americans and they don't seem to be more 
violent than the average European. If it is true then I am even more 
frightened about the possibility of nuclear war than I am already. If a
country is culturaly prepared to accept violence then the possibility of
their using nuclear weapons is higher.