[Pond, James Pond]

James - I did a paper on this about a year ago... The UK police actually make station to station judgments on what is and is not a violent crime... It’s not that they don’t have a written standard it’s that the standard gives figures that are higher than the political apparatus wants reported... Hence a certain degree of tinkering with how things get reported happens.

That is one of the fine legacies of the Blair government. Metrics and targets, making numbers more important than realities.
They have it in the education system and the NHS etc...
Another sublime example of politicians doing what I hate politicians doing: opting for the illusion of action, rather than addressing the real issues of the day.

Everyone knows the numbers are being fudged and everyone turns a blind eye to it and pretends it really the right numbers...

I quoted death by violence.
I doubt anyone is going to fudge cause of death: "Fatal Stabbing?... Well, put it down as Unsuccessful Heimlich Manoeurvre!" That would be pushing it, even for Whitehall!

Also humans are humans all over and the strong will often prey and the weak and even more so when they know the weak cannot physically fight off the predators and arent allowed guns to even the relative differences...

I've never disputed that.

All the same, surely you agree that we do not all give in to the predatory instinct with equal ease. Some societies do have lower crime than others. People in villages leave their front doors unlocked, whereas those, in cities have 20lbs of steel strapped to theirs.

Interesting that it appears to be a solely human condition: in the wild most predators tend to attack those of another species, rather than their own. We tend to target almost exclusively our own... nice!

This is all that I am disputing:
Crime levels and gun ownership are not a simple inverse correlation as shown by the UK's high crime levels and lack of guns in society and the US' high crime levels with record levels of gun ownership.

A gun will change outcomes.
Possibly. But clearly not the incidence.

Hence why, for me, bringing in crime levels to the debate isn't particularly enlightening.

Hope your doing well James

I am doing exceptionally well :
I ordered way more than was sensible on the menu last night and yet I finished the lot. Feeling quite pleased with myself!
As the day progresses , I may regret it...