From article in the Houston Chronicle, page 31A, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2003...

Article title

Girls' deaths spark outcry over firearms

Gist of the article

In Birmingham, England, two girls were killed and two were wounded by members of two rival Jamaican gangs. David Blunkett, the Cabinet secretary in charge of policing, announced a five-year minimum prison sentence for carrying illegal firearms and a ban on replica weapons.

What's the problem?

Britain already has one of the toughest handgun bans in the world, starting in 1996, yet crimes in which firearms are used have nearly doubled in Britain over the past five years.

And I'm thinking: Well of course they have. Bad people in England no longer have to fear that they will encounter any armed resistance from the folks they are trying to rape, murder, or rob. When will those idiots learn that depriving honest folks of the ability to defend themselves is never a smart idea?