Hmm a mate got stabbed THREE times >:(

[smtkr]

This <sarcasm> extremely logical </sarcasm> legislation means that rather than having every other lorry driver armed and beating people up, it is a rare occurence over here.
Murder statisitcs suggest that the UK's laws make it a safer place then "Armed to the teeth as I constantly fear being attacked" America.

Of corse making holding concealed weapons illegal also means the police usually have something to arrest criminals for.

A lorry driver would think twice about attacking someone if there was a chance he was armed.

And it doesn't sound like you people are any safer than Americans. Are you reading the same personal accounts that I am?

[Rave]

Never mind personal accounts, look at the stats. We certainly are safer if you look at both countries as a whole.

[vincent]

and what good does ASBO's do these days?

Some stupid law that Mr Balir created preposed to "protect the adutls from Anti Socialists"

Please, that hasnt done anything really tbh...

Just fire them ALL off to war.. that'l lsort them out...[Cheers bring back National Service ]

[Knoxville]

Never mind personal accounts, look at the stats. We certainly are safer if you look at both countries as a whole.

The population differences make direct comparisons impossible really

[jonneymendoza]

its a real messed up place we live in, new york is safer than london for crying ot loud! london is becoming a joke. thats why it pays to have a car in away instead of takinga bus or walking 2 your destination only for u to get jumped by some faggits...

things like these are what makes me abit afraid in going out alone at nite... whenever i walk im always on red alert for tehse things especialy when i see a bunch of youths, first thing that comes 2 my mind is "are these people gunna cause trouble on me?"

[badass]

A lorry driver would think twice about attacking someone if there was a chance he was armed.

And it doesn't sound like you people are any safer than Americans. Are you reading the same personal accounts that I am?

The kind of person that gets mad in a lorry, rams someone off the road and then beats them up will not think about those kind of things.
If you want to compare, use statistics, not personal accounts.

[badass]

its a real messed up place we live in, new york is safer than london for crying ot loud! london is becoming a joke. thats why it pays to have a car in away instead of takinga bus or walking 2 your destination only for u to get jumped by some faggits...

things like these are what makes me abit afraid in going out alone at nite... whenever i walk im always on red alert for tehse things especialy when i see a bunch of youths, first thing that comes 2 my mind is "are these people gunna cause trouble on me?"

New York is NOT safer than london. The murder rates per 100,000 population show that. The other crimes cannot be accurately compared as tehy are measured differently.

[TheAnimus]

A lorry driver would think twice about attacking someone if there was a chance he was armed.

And it doesn't sound like you people are any safer than Americans. Are you reading the same personal accounts that I am?

Or, they would go get a sub machine gun.

The idea is quite simple, most our police carry CS spray as their most dangerous wepon. That means if your going to rob a bank, all you need is a baseball bat. If you do take a wepon such a gun, you get greated by an esculation.

There are fewer guns per head than in the USA, so surely people are safer? Guns make people feal power, not feal safe.

[Rave]

While I'm upset that one of unreal's acquaintances got seriously assaulted, I'd like to add a contrary viewpoint here to all the people who seem to think that our society is going to hell in a handbasket. I've lived in SE London (specifically Catford) for 22 of my 26 years, and the only time that I've ever experienced street violence was during the other 4 years when I lived in Southampton. That was in a situation where I decided to get involved- to try and stop a gang of thugs nicking a woman's bicycle.

I walk past gangs of youths on the street every day, and I never get any grief. I take the view that I shouldn't worry about them as they're likely to be hanging around just to pass the time as there's nothing better to do and nowhere else to go- and sure enough they've never once said anything to me (beyond asking for a fag). My wife, in the 3 1/2 years I've known her, has on one occasion been mildly (albeit rudely) hassled.

My friend got mugged for his phone once- in Lewisham, when he was very drunk and in the company of an off duty (female) police inspector. The only trouble my brother has had as far as I know was being shouted at (and pushed) on the bus by a nutter who reckoned he was Jewish (eh? ). I'm not saying it doesn't happen- just that some of us manage to live our lives just fine without any fear of attack.

[Knoxville]

You've been lucky but your also older, mosta the excuses for people that have a go at me day in day out are under 18 and don't target adults as quickly as they do people of their own age group. In the past year I've been involved in 3/4 "fights" most of them over stupidity such as I wouldn't give them a cigarette although one was slightly more serious than that. And thats just counting the times that i've resorted to physical violence, there have been countless more times where i've had to stand toe to toe with the little s***bags before they back down. Society is going downhill dude, when I was 15/16 I never used to get nearly as much trouble just standing around minding my own business as I do now.

[Stewart]

Hmm, tricky one. Generally, I'm with Rave, I'm 24, live in Birmingham, and I really can't remember anything worth mentioning on that front. Certainly never had anyone trying to give it the big one, and take my phone, or whatever. The fact that I've lived all my life around this area, know most of the scallies who might be the sort of people who do this sort of stuff, am normally with a few mates who are also from the area, or my Doberman, probably means I'm not a likely target though.

Knox is right though - when I was 16, I wasn't going around causing trouble... well, no, actually I was, but the point is, I wasn't going around mugging people. Seems to be more groups of little scummers hanging around on the streets now, than there was when I was one of those scummers.

Final point, if me and two of my mates are out and some little idiot \ gang of idiots tries it on, its sort of understood that two of us don't run away, leaving the other to get the living s*it kicked out of him. Might want to have a word with your 'mates' about that one.

EDIT - Having just read the whole thread, and as its been mentioned, I've always thought that the fact that your average joe in America can walk around with a gun is utter insanity. Average joe does not need to own a gun. Your average American certainly shouldn't have one. Madness.

[steve threlfall]

EDIT - Having just read the whole thread, and as its been mentioned, I've always thought that the fact that your average joe in America can walk around with a gun is utter insanity. Average joe does not need to own a gun. Your average American certainly shouldn't have one. Madness.

A-MEN brother

I hope your friend is ok. Aside from the injurys caused by the stabbing he is probably feeling very shook up and understandably nervous about being out on his own. This incident will knock his confience somewhat. As others have said i cant believe his mates ran off. While we dont know the full story thats just not on.

The idea that Americans are safer than the British because they can legally carry knives and guns is utterly incomprehensible to me. A man wants to mug you- he has a knife but you have one too... are you really that much safer? You may end up fighting your corner instead of just say handing over your wallet because you have the means to prtect yourself. However if you have that weapon you have to be sure that you could use it because they almost certainly will. This is not to say that you American guys wouldnt use a knife/gun, whatever, if it came to it but im just saying i dont know for sure if i could.

In this country i wouldnt trust the police with guns let alone the average thick gobby chav who rides the bus drinking tennants super with his/her daughter chantelle. The very idea that some of the morons who infest my local area could legally aquire a gun or knife doesnt bear thinking about.

While the statisitcs in this thread prove otherwise it does seem to be the general consensus that gun crime is on the up in Britian. I dont know whether this is really the case or as i suspect sensationalist newspapers exaggerating and bending stats in their favour to sell papers.

It does seem to me that the likelyhood of getting some sort of hassle while out (wherever that may be) has increased these days. Stew and Rave have probably not experienced the same because they are a bit older and the chav scum youths that are responsible are targetting those their own age group, as knox pointed out. Generally the numbers of trouble making scum (thugs/chavs whatever we call them) are on the up. There are more youths hanging around and causing trouble. Interestingly the youths who 'act ard' regardless of race or age are seemingly always chavs. They sway around in sports gear, gold chains and like hip hop or other such rubbish and seem to especially enjoy inflicting their (i am fifty cent) goon speak on the rest of the population.

I have recieved very little 'hassle' luckily. It may be that im 6' and look a bit... unstable I havnt been in a fight since primary school probably and if someone tried to mug me then i would probably just hand over my stuff. I wouldnt want to but i would. If i was in anyway strong then i would have no qualms with thumping some thug that tried to mug me in the thorat.