Compare this to the US experience in states where concealed
carry is legal and violent crime decreases! Obviously, our
efforts should be directed at gaining concealed carry rights
in EVERY state.

Leroy

—–Original Message—–
From: ImJoe6Pack@a… [ImJoe6Pack@a...]
THE GUARDIAN UNITED (London, UK)
Thursday January 11, 2001 2:27 am

42 Deaths As Use Of Handguns Hits Seven-year High
>From Ananova (a UK cyber news service)

http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/breakingnews/UK/0,2478,66
5043,00.html

Use of handguns in crime in England and Wales reached its
highest level for seven years in 1999-2000.

This is in spite of the ban on private ownership of the
weapons introduced in the wake of the Dunblane massacre.

There were 42 people killed with handguns during the
period – more than in any other year in the 1990s.

Some 3,685 crimes involving handguns were recorded in
1999-2000, including 42 homicides, 310 cases of attempted
murder, 2,561 robberies and 204 burglaries,
the Home Office revealed.

The total was more than one-third (37%) up on the previous
year, and the highest level since the Dunblane tragedy in
March 1996, when 16 children and
a teacher died.

The details were released in a parliamentary written answer
by Home Office Minister Lord Bassam of Brighton.

A ban on all private ownership of handguns became law in
November 1997, but handgun offences have risen each year
since then.

Levels of handgun offences were higher in 1992 and 1993, at
3,997 and 4,202 respectively, but in each year there were
fewer homicides than in 1999-2000.

The higher figures then were down to a far greater incidence
of robberies using handguns, which reached a peak of 3,605
in 1993 before falling every year until 1999-2000, when they
jumped from 1,814 to 2,561.