Public Safety Minister Rodolfo Aguilera said the country will follow in the footsteps of the United States and Switzerland, where the right to bear arms is believed to lead to fewer homicides.
“Everything
seems to indicate that there is no direct correlation in the aphorism
that says more guns mean more crime,” said Aguilera, who explained that
relaxed gun laws have allowed the United States to reduce the homicide
rate over the last 20 years.
Aguilera added that new regulations will include criminal and psychological background checks for future gun owners.
Probably very few of their homicides are poor unarmed average citizens. The folks getting killed are criminals, drug dealers and the like. So, arming the average citizens will have little effect to the good, but like in the US, more guns will be stolen and more will be sold to criminals. Things will get worse, proving the age-old truth: guns do more harm than good.
You forgot the "common sense and honesty" tag on this one, Mikeb.
ReplyDeletePanama's current homicide rate, as of 2012 is over 17 per 100k, beating out the gun law rich, but very violent gun control paradise called DC. What they are doing now clearly isn't working.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course, we can compare these numbers with those gun friendly states like Texas, with a homicide rate of 4.3 per 100k. Or a constitutional carry state like Vermont with a homicide rate of 1.6 per 100k.
http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/panama
https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2013/crime-in-the-u.s.-2013/tables/5tabledatadecpdf/table_5_crime_in_the_united_states_by_state_2013.xls
Why don't you compare them to Louisiana?
DeleteAnd what do you think about my suggestion in the post that it'll have little or no beneficial effect?
Mike, I didn't compare it to Lousiana's honicide rate of 10.8 per 100k because it wasn't the highest in the U.S. That dubious honor goes to DC. As for its overall effect, it's hard to say. This is a weather change in gun policy logic. The standard response to rising gun crime in the face of ever rising violent crime rates is to push for more restrictive gun laws even though the first round of laws had a negative effect. They say, just a little more and it will start to work. But it never seems to. Chicago's police Superintendent is still in denial in this regard.
DeleteSo lawmakers in Panama have said, this isn't working, so let's try something different. There have been a number of areas where there has been a large change in gun laws. Puerto Rico is another. It will be interesting to see the effects, if any over the years.
Ok, compare them to Louisiana.
DeleteOh, look at that. Panama is 50% higher.
And your prediction in your post would be that it would get worse. Are you sticking with that, or are you changing it to say the benefit might be small?
I meant New Orleans- but you're still not talking about my idea that since most of the victims in Panama are not average citizens the law will have little or no beneficial effect - but it will have the usual deleterious one.
DeleteSS loves to compare America to third world countries like Panama and the like. Just shows how wrong he is.
DeleteYes Anon, its pretty interesting when Panama has a homicide rate that is just a little higher than our nation's capitol, which has so many gun restrictions, you cant swing a cat without hitting one. DC's homicide rate by the way was 15.9 per 100k in 2013.
DeleteAlso, the First World, Third World thing is a construct of the cold war. You remember, the old US/Soviet Block thing. Even the gun control lobby has moved beyond those designations by comparing the US with other members of the OCED that have lower violent crime rates.
And as I always do, I mention that they are leaving out another OCED member, Mexico. But that doesn't fit in with their narrative.
Cold war?
DeleteYou really go out of your way to be dishonest. I simply said a country like Mexico, which is run by drug lords, is not a developed country. You do. Thanks fir thr clarification dishonest gun loon. It's nice to see you justify your idiot statements with even dumber statements.
Why follow the country (America) with 30,000 gun shot deaths a year.? Clearly America's gun laws aren't working.
ReplyDeleteWell Anon, the current strict gun laws don't seem to be working well for them. At least they're open minded enough to realize that doing the thing that doesn't work over again doesn't make sense.
ReplyDeleteThough I'm sure the real cause is the lax gun laws of Costa Rica and Columbia that allows people from those countries to drive in with guns.
So of course do something that has proven not to work. What an idiot.
DeleteAnon, any state with more freedom to own firearms demonstrates lower violent crime that bot DC and Panama. So how is it proven not to work? Just because it isn't 100% effective?
DeleteKeep in mind that any change resulting from this legislation won't happen overnight.
Because 30,000 people a year die from gun shot in America. I suppose you call that a success.
DeleteYeah. I do. Especially when you take into account where the majority of those gun shot occurs. In the states and/or cities where guns are most restricted. In the free states those deaths are much lower. Panama sees this and is acting accordingly. The US provides its own best examples of what works. And what doesnt.
DeleteGot to love these dishonest, dangerous gun loons, they think 30,000 gun shot deaths a year defines a success.
DeleteYes I do. Because before the states started issuing permits to carry, the number you keep bleating about was much higher than now. So yes, it has been and continues to be a great success and getting better all the time.
DeleteNothing dishonest, nothing dangerous about bringing that number down to the number you bleat. It is simple facts. And that number will continue to fall. Look up facts. Or go to school, like has been suggested, and learn something.
See, dangerous, idiotic, criminal gun loons defending the 30,000 gun shot deaths a year. Thanks for proving me correct.
DeleteThat number has only climbed over the years. The number of guns in America has climbed over the years. When do we get to the lying gun loons theory, when an abundance of guns stops these gun shot deaths? Never!
Delete"That number has only climbed over the years. The number of guns in America has climbed over the years. When do we get to the lying gun loons theory, when an abundance of guns stops these gun shot deaths? Never!"
DeleteMore proof that this anon above is nothing more than an eternal, never ending, lying, buffoon. Completely devoid of an education and anything that even resembles a fact.
A.
Complete.
Idiot.