Marek11111: if everyone will own a gun crime will go down to lowest in history.
From 'The Making of Modern Britain' by Andrew Marr. On Edwardian Britain:
Crime was, by today's standards, remarkably low. Yet anyone could walk into one of numerous shops and buy a revolver. (...) Edwardian Britain was an armoured country, even after the Pistols Act of 1903 thoughtfully banned sales of handguns to people under eighteen or 'drunken or insane'.
jwojcie: Simple comparison between USA homicide rate and Polish homicide rate shows that USA model is not viable.
http://www.statemaster.com/graph/cri_mur_wit_fir-death-rate-per-100-00 0
#1 District of Columbia: 31.2
#2 Alaska: 20
some of the comments:
Odd how Washington DC, with it's unconstitutional handgun ban, leads the nation.
Alaska near top, mostly b/c of suicides in Native Americans.
Note the difference between DC and Alaska.
jwojcie: convex:Talking about the partisan forces in WW2 Then agreed, success there, but imposible in Poland given Polish flat terrain.
The Germans wanted to create a purely German zone at the eastern border of the General Government. They started with cleansing Zamojszczyzna, which resulted in quick organising of local armed self-defence, opposing the expulsions and retaliating on already settled (armed) Germans. The scale of resistance caused the action to be stopped. It's a huge chapter in the history of the Polish underground.
And: Partyzancka Republika Pińczowska, in 1944 spanned over 100 sq km free from occupying forces.
jwojcie: More Poles would end up being shot in the back of their head
People with guns don't get shot in the back of the head. They got to be tied up first. The problem with resistance against the Soviets was that the Red Army was to be considered an ally. Much of the armed Polish underground gave up weapons and were sent far East. After the 'Western Treason' it was a bit late to recover the strength. Still, the armed opposition lasted for years on, and was the main reason that Poland retained land ownership and freedom of religion. If the Soviets had tried to take land from peasants, there would've been no 'communism' in Poland, most probably.
convex: But...not many people are interested in them. Poles really don't seem to care much for guns.
You don't care much for what you can't really have. Polish gun laws are ridiculous. From what I remember, you can eventually get a permission for a handgun to protect your house, yet, by the law, it has to be locked safely at all times, unloaded. The police, before shooting at the criminal, have to shout a shooting warning (Policja, uwaga, strzelam!) three times, then shoot in the air, then aim at the legs.
About the interest in guns you'd have to live for a stretch in the already mentioned Zamojszczyzna. And make good friends there too. My grandpa had a cavalry carbine, I was playing with it as a kid, and once my uncle took me in the woods for some real shooting. My cousin exchanged it later for a Parabellum and a small sack of ammo, and then sold it for a bottle of vodka. Or two, could be... The price should suggest you the availability of firearms, not the level of interest. If an old barn caught fire, the fire brigade did not approach for fear of stashed ammo and grenades, they only protected the neighbouring buildings.
Zamojszczyzna was exceptionally littered with guns, must be said, but Poles are not gun-shy, just disarmed. Except those who read Wyborcza to lunch.
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