This is what happens- Is safety worth it?

Every time I get into or read a discussion on gun control, someone always trots out the old argument about how the UK has restrictive gun laws, and they have less crime as a result. The Wikipedia article points out that firearms crime is rare in the UK, but leaves out the fact that UK crime rates are on the rise. In fact, you are six times more likely to be mugged in London than you are in New York City. Violent crime in the UK jumped by two-thirds between 1998 and 2003. Crime is higher in the UK than the U.S. in every category except rape and murder. UK householders who injure a home invader are often hauled up on charges. A new study suggests the use of handguns in crime rose by 40% in the two years after the weapons were banned.

People who oppose gun laws here in the US point out that the Second Amendment is there to prevent the Government from becoming tyrannical, and safeguards liberty. Countries which ban their citizens from owning the means to resist government force always degrade into dictatorship and tyranny. The UK is no exception. As I have said in the past, the UK began allowing private contractors to enter private homes to enforce the repayment of debts, and this latest scheme is horrific, but par for the gun banning course.

The UK has begin placing closed circuit video cameras into private homes to ensure that the occupants are not breaking the law. So far 2,000 homes have had cameras put in place, with another 20,000 on the to do list. Private security guards will also be sent round to carry out home checks, while parents will be given help to combat drug and alcohol addiction. Children's Secretary Ed Balls said: “This is pretty tough and non-negotiable support for families to get to the root of the problem. There should be Family Intervention Projects in every local authority area because every area has families that need support.” (Now that takes Balls)

It looks like Orwel was accurate in the details, but was just off by a few years on the date.