Comment by jariel
5 years ago
Yes, thanks for pointing that out (fyi interesting example because Switzerland has a lot of guns per capita) - but the general widespread availability of weapons makes them very accessible, both legally and illegally, in specific locations wherein people are going to use them for 'bad things'.
Also - that the vast majority of gun owners are 'very responsible' doesn't change the fact that as cops pull people over, there is a reasonable likelihood people will have weapons, which ratchets up the likelihood that someone, even in a 'good area' will do something bad. The likelihood is small, but enough to make a difference.
When I've been pulled over in the US, often the officer approaches and doesn't quite come to the side of the window, remains slightly out of sight, they might have one hand on the flashlight and seem to be quite concerned about visually inspecting inside the car as a precaution. In Canada, I don't really see this. I believe this is a function of the likelihood of weapons.
Also, America differs in citizens likelihood of doing something pretty outrageous when confronted with police. I'm not sure why this is, I guess a cultural attribute - but again, combine this with weapons, and it makes policing materially more dangerous.
Here's the data on high-speed chases in the US [1] and a 'high point' for high speed chases in the UK as a comparison. [2]
Here are the number of US police killed in the line of duty [3], it's quite a lot, and the number of UK police killed [4] (it amounts to about 1 per year).
A lot of guns, a propensity for more violent acts, I think really does shift the equilibrium.
Which doesn't justify excess violence by cops of course, but it's a different context.
[1] https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5906
[2] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/05/police-pursuit-d...
[3] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36748136
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_police_officer...
> Yes, thanks for pointing that out (fyi interesting example because Switzerland has a lot of guns per capita)
Indeed, the choice was intentional.
> but the general widespread availability of weapons makes them very accessible, both legally and illegally, in specific locations wherein people are going to use them for 'bad things'.
While I don't think the problems of those specific locations should be ignored, their problems are also not a good justification to abridge the rights of people who live outside of those places.
> Also - that the vast majority of gun owners are 'very responsible' doesn't change the fact that as cops pull people over, there is a reasonable likelihood people will have weapons, which ratchets up the likelihood that someone, even in a 'good area' will do something bad. The likelihood is small, but enough to make a difference.
The impact of civilian gun ownership on police interactions is not something I've given much thought, and is worth exploring.
However, I will note that there are many sheriffs across the U.S. which actually encourage their county residents to own guns. There are many, many legitimate defensive guns uses each year.