Les Jones

Guns > US and UK Murder Rates

There's been a lot of debate about the affects of the UK's gun control laws, with much comparing of murder rates between the two countries. That comparison may be apples and oranges. Hat tip to the Smith &Wesson Forum.

The murder rates of the U.S. and U.K. are also affected by differences in the way each counts homicides. The FBI asks police to list every homicide as murder, even if the case isn’t subsequently prosecuted or proceeds on a lesser charge, making the U.S. numbers as high as possible. By contrast, the English police "massage down" the homicide statistics, tracking each case through the courts and removing it if it is reduced to a lesser charge or determined to be an accident or self-defense, making the English numbers as low as possible.