Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by ptaipale 4101 days ago
Not quite, Wikipedia: "Trafficking in arms (Section 6) is a capital offence in Singapore. Under the Arms Offences Act, trafficking is defined as being in unlawful possession of more than two firearms."
1 comments

That is still shocking to anyone in the US where the ratio of guns to people is 1:1.
Yes, but note that the offense is for unlawful possession of firearms, not lawful possession (though I imagine the conditions for lawful possession in Singapore are extremely restrictive).

Where I live (Finland) the ratio is 2:5 (2 million legal guns, 5 million people). That's the highest in EU. We also have among the highest homicide rate in EU, but these two rates are not really connected (i.e. very few of the homicides done with a gun.).

I think Sweden and Germany have you matched or beat on guns per capita in the EU

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_of_guns_per_capita_by_co...

And 1:1 guns ratio is shocking for most of the rest of the world...
The 1:1 ratio of guns to people is shocking to the majority of the civilised world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP3HJVp3n9c

Why? Many other countries come close to that ratio. Is there something intrinsically bad about that?
No, very few countries come close to that ratio. The poster-child for widespread gun ownership, Switzerland, still only has half as many guns per capita[0] as the US. They also have laws that prohibit most people from carrying loaded guns. The result is a gun homicide rate less than 1/5th that of the US per capita.[1]

Yes, intrinsically bad. It's pretty clear to anyone who doesn't live in a gun "bubble". Number one cause of death by gun? Suicide. Watch that YouTube clip[2] in full; it summarises my opinion quite well. The second amendment makes sense in the era of muskets, but in the present day only serves to make everyday life less safe, and police officers more Ferguson-ey.

[0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_of_guns_per_capita_by_co...

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-re...

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP3HJVp3n9c

If the attempt is to understand the roots of homicide, rather than just bash one nation or another, it's more instructive to look at homicides [0], rather than homicides of a particular flavor. A careful look at that list will make it clear that elevated homicide rates are a legacy of colonization, at least as much as legal policy. Those in the Americas or Africa can't really be blamed that they were colonized by Europeans. Therefore, nations in the bottom, say, third of the table for those continents really aren't doing such a bad job.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentiona...

If your argument is that America's problems are caused by Europe, that's pretty embarrassing.
They also have laws that prohibit most people from carrying loaded guns.

Not sure I understand. Switzerland has 1/2 the guns, but nowhere near 50% of the US' homicide rate. Are you saying the ability to legally carry a gun is the reason for the difference?

The states that legally allow carrying a concealed weapon without a permit (VT, AK) have some of the lowest murder rates of all states.

The reason is that Swiss society doesn't fetishize gun ownership in quite the same way. Nobody in Switzerland is going to the mall carrying a handgun for "protection" and nobody would be so stupid to ever think that was a good idea.

As for concealed carry permit states, VT and AK have murder rates remarkably consistent with geographical neighbors. You are dead wrong to claim they are somehow special.

I think the bigger problem is that we manufacture many more guns than we can use, which is basically tacit support for the guns for drug trade.
The US? People can own more than one gun. The 1:1 ratio is for privately own guns. Doesn't include military or guns for export.
Is there something intrinsically bad about executing illegal arms dealers?
Mandatory execution sees offenders only as their offence, rather than human beings, and denies offenders the opportunity to change for the better. It is cynical and pessimistic.
Treating offenders only as their offence is what most justice systems to to most criminals most of the time. Particularly in the USA, where incarceration is a for-profit business traded on the stock market.
Is there a mandatory execution for firearms violation in Singapore? I didn't think so.