England gun ban helps cut murders

In the July 22 Fence Post, Don Bekeleski spouted the benefits on guns.

In his letter, he said "England has currently banned the possession of guns from its people and gun violence is out of control there."

I had spent a considerable amount of time in England, and I knew this didn't sound right so I did some research.

Over the last eight years, here is the number of annual homicides from handguns in England and Wales - 42, 47, 59, 40, 35, 37, 22 and 27 per year.

If one adds in Scotland, you would add seven more over eight years (less than one per year).

This he considers "out of control."

If you would like a comparison, in England, Wales and Scotland, homicides are about 0.21 per 100,000 people.

In the United States, it is a just under 4.0 per 100,000, or about 10 times more than the United Kingdom.

It is no wonder the people abroad considers us a violent society. Look at countries like Japan where the ratio is less than .03 per 100,000 people.

More guns mean a safer society?

One can only shake one's head in disbelief. It is really a shame that people feel compelled to use exaggerations and misrepresentations to support their case.

Roger J. Bianco

Elk Grove Village