Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm not going to get into the gun control debate one way or another - I will say having lived in Europe, Japan, and Australia - the feeling of being safe when walking the streets is overwhelming in those areas compared to the US and even here in Hawaii.
With that said - you have some huge gaps you are leaving out of your statement regarding home invasions - specifically in the UK.
In 1988, the UK banned semi-automatic rifles - and in 1996, banned handguns. It is true, that in the period of about 1988 to about 1995, domestic burglary spiked a huge amount, more than doubling from the early 1980's to the mid 1990's. However, it is equally true, that after the spike in the mid-1990's, an equally impressive drop in home burglaries occured, falling in half from the mid-1990's to the same rate as the early 1980's.
I'll also take the UK rate of 0.04 (not a typo) of firearm related homicides per year per 100,000 people versus the US rate of 3.7 per 100,000 people.
Yeah, but the UK has more of a public safety net, no? Meaning people have more of a choice and are not so desperate as they are here, in the US.
In France they prosecuted a psychiatrist for not putting a dangerous patient in a more secured situation. The patient escaped and killed.
In the UK, if such a thing occurs, there is a harrowing inquest with the psychiatrist as subject, by both law enforcement and the psychiatric profession.
Here, what happens? The records are closed and pretty much remain so. We have a really lousy mental health program in the US with one hand not knowing what the other is doing and often every 'expert' giving a different recommendation. People fall through cracks all the time. So there, expectedly, are more violent crimes and more robberies. I don't think other countries have as many potentially violent nut jobs running free in their streets.
Hawaii shoud wake up and understand that "bad guys", be they crimiinals, terrorists or whatever, will always possess the means of your destruciton, froma rope, to a knife, to gallon of gasoline. The only questions is will you be a passive, unarmed victim, or an active, armed survivor.
Hawaii is last, 50 out of the 50 states when it comes to the murder rate. It seems to me that they are doing something right!
I, happily, do not have any issues at all to prevent me from owning a firearm so now I will just see what the legality is for getting them to the state - some areas you must ship them to an authorized arms dealer for pick up and some states you can just declare what they are ship them to yourself. It should not be hard to find out which one HI is.
To me the simplest way is to bring them in as checked baggage. That's what I did. They need to be declared, they need to be locked in approved cases, you cannot bring ammunition with them, etc. Check with your air carrier for details.
Or, if you are having furniture moved, or loading a container, just include them as household items.
Hawaii is last, 50 out of the 50 states when it comes to the murder rate. It seems to me that they are doing something right!
As a long time gun owner I think what Hawai'i does could be a model for the country. To buy a gun you have to get a Permit to Buy from the police Department first. You show ID, get photographed, get fingerprinted, have all run against multiple databases, not just the instant phone check other states use, then you have to pass an approved safety course, and wait a minimum of 14 days from the application date before you will be approved, then register your gun within 3 days, etc.
And under the indicated conditions (domestic violence, drug trafficking, etc), you can be made to turn in your guns, at least temporarily.
Like I said, it's not perfect but it does seem to work better than anything any other state has going for it.
As a long time gun owner I think what Hawai'i does could be a model for the country. To buy a gun you have to get a Permit to Buy from the police Department first. You show ID, get photographed, get fingerprinted, have all run against multiple databases, not just the instant phone check other states use, then you have to pass an approved safety course, and wait a minimum of 14 days from the application date before you will be approved, then register your gun within 3 days, etc.
And under the indicated conditions (domestic violence, drug trafficking, etc), you can be made to turn in your guns, at least temporarily.
Like I said, it's not perfect but it does seem to work better than anything any other state has going for it.
This sounds like a perfectly reasonable system. If I bring one gun that I already own, will I be required to take a safety course?
Hawaii is last, 50 out of the 50 states when it comes to the murder rate. It seems to me that they are doing something right!
[URL="http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/murder-rates-nationally-and-state#MRord"]Murder Rates Nationally and By State | Death Penalty Information Center[/URL]
According to Federal Figues, published by the Census, Hawaii's murder rate is 1.8 per 100,000 per year. About 6 have lower rates, including Utah, Vermont, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota and New Hampshire.
When I was on the BI in 2009, the friends I was with received a call from their alarm company saying that their patio door in Ca. had been kicked in (back yard faces a golf course). Fortunately, the alarm scared off the burglars. This week, two of my friends were victims of home invasion robberies in two different areas of our city. No one was injured, but no one was caught, either. I have had a monitored alarm system for the past twenty years, and have had no problems. My question is, are alarms permitted in condominium complexes in Hawaii? (My plan is to be up at least one floor, which should fend off the less-determined meth-heads.) I would have thought silent alarms would be permissible, but I've heard contrary information. Anyone had experience with this?
Thanks!
In my career with a law-enforcement agency, home invasions can be reduced significanly by showing the US Flag at your house. Prospective perps see the flag and think to themselves that the occupants are far more likely to be armed that otherwise might be so.
Hmm, flying the flag pictured below might be more effective than the U.S. flag in certain parts of the Big Island...
When prospective preps see that flag they think to themselves that the occupants are far more likely to be Native Hawaiians that are already pissed off and have little compunction about pounding unwelcome visitors to a pulp.
That's only for 2011. The average of the murder rates from 1996 to 2011 is a little more revealing. From 1996 to 2011, the average murder rate in Hawaiʻi is 2.3 per 100,000.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robin Rossi
According to Federal Figues, published by the Census, Hawaii's murder rate is 1.8 per 100,000 per year. About 6 have lower rates, including Utah, Vermont, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota and New Hampshire.
Actually, seven states (Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Vermont) have lower murder rates than Hawaiʻi, if the average murder rate from 1996 to 2011 is considered. However, since all home invasions don't result in "murder or non-negligent manslaughter", the FBI's stats for "violent crime", "aggravated assault", "robbery", and "property crime" might be more apt. FBI: Crime in the United States by Region, Geographic Division, and State, 2010–2011
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
