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Do criminals in any "gun free" nations still find ways of getting and using weapons?

This is a serious question as I have zero knowledge on the subject in other nations being I do not live there.
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UndeadPrivateer · 31-35, M
Yeah, there have been serious issues in countries with strict weapons control laws stopping organized criminals from getting weapons. It stops the more small time criminals from getting their mitts on anything but borders are too difficult to secure to stop those who are really determined to get something to kill people with. And some criminal organizations get real inventive with their methods, too, so they don't need things that would qualify as weapons according to the law.

The only country that has had really good success with restricting weapons is Australia, and that's an incredibly unique situation where there are very few poorly controlled internal regions that are friendly to human life(most of central Australia is pretty uncontrolled but will kill the average human in a matter of mere minutes if you're unlucky, hours if you're lucky) and no land borders with any other countries as well as a large, open and fairly uncontested maritime region surrounding it.
Ynotisay · M
I'd say Japan has done pretty well too. As has Singapore, Romania, South Korea, Poland and a host of others.
UndeadPrivateer · 31-35, M
@Ynotisay: Japan I'm not so sure of. There's a... strange relationship between the Yakuza and the government, to say the least, that could lead to all kinds of misrepresentation.

Those other countries, it's important to separate "weapons control" from "gun control." Not all violence is perpetrated by guns. And statistics will always favor reported crimes over unreported for very obvious reasons. If something goes unreported then there's not going to be any statistics to track, and it's much easier to report a crime perpetrated by a firearm or explosives than other methods simply because of both the very obvious auditory clues that something is going on as well as the forensic ability to detect them.
Ynotisay · M
@UndeadPrivateer: I was talking about gun deaths in accordance with gun ownership. Easy to look up if you're interested.

Unless you're the type of person who chooses to not believe best available reporting and stats if it doesn't fit your opinion. Then it would be sort of pointless.
UndeadPrivateer · 31-35, M
Guns are simply tools, if people want to kill each other then they'll find the tools to do it. It's not a big surprise that in countries with more guns you end up with more gun deaths, that's just math. The US's violence problem has much less to do with guns than it does with education, culture and criminal reform rates.
Ynotisay · M
@UndeadPrivateer: My opinion is different. I believe the U.S. problem has to do with the fact that we have a lot of gutless people who need to live in fear and will support those who reiterate that belief.
UndeadPrivateer · 31-35, M
@Ynotisay: Well, that sure sounds like a problem of education, culture and criminal reform to me. Sounds like we're in agreement.