Interesting new FP article on gun ownership around the world
 

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/article...rily_dangerous

They look at the 10 countries with the highest rates of civilian gun ownership (per 100 people). As you can see, the list includes both Third World hellholes and semi-socialist EU members.

Very interesting read.

Some of them really surprised me, particularly Saudi Arabia. Their gun laws may be restrictive compared to ours, but they're not nearly as restrictive as most European countries (which are still, otherwise, much freer and better places to live).

I do think this list illustrates that while high gun ownership might not be negatively correlated with public safety (as gun controllers argue), guns also aren't necessarily correlated with greater political liberty (as pro-RKBAers claim). Some of the countries on that list are highly authoritarian.

In Uruguay you can´t buy anything bigger than .25 unless you´re in the military or police. Btw, lots of uruguayan hunters come here to hunt hogs and deers.

A very interesting article, I’m very glad that you posted it. I’ve never agreed with either the Liberal or Conservative ideologies regarding weapons. Both are too extreme for me and seem to disregard the facts. This article has proven to me what I’ve suspected the entire time: gun crime is a complex problem with many roots, and there is no “quick fix.” Thanks again for posting, MT2008!:)

The way I look at it: In some cases, high small arms proliferation in unstable countries/regions/cities can be like throwing gasoline into a fire (that's certainly what's happening in Mexico or Yemen right now). But it also isn't the match that lit the flame.