First of all, I am so sorry for everybody who becomes a victim of violence. Here is the deal seen from an outside perspective: In Norway we hear about gun violence happening all the time in America, and almost never anywhere else in the world. Not only are the gun-crimes frequent, violent crime in general seems to be. Through my studies I have learned a lot about sociology related to law, and we do know some things about why my country Norway has a very low crime-rate compared to many Western countries. I wish to stress that our laws and systems are far from perfect especially related to domestic abuse, but we still are doing some things right:
- Most of the population including most of the military and the police-force are not allowed to carry guns in public unless they have separate, specific permits for each occasion.
- Keeping guns at home is almost equally strictly regulated. The general population is not allowed to unless they have special permits as soldiers or trained hunters. The only unexpected shooting episodes we have had in Norway have happened related to these guns (excluding the long term criminals).
- Without the guns, we are still not more frequently attacked, assaulted, robbed, and I believe we are less vulnerable without all these guns lying around everywhere.
- I personally believe that our capital punishment is far too lenient, and I have not seen any examples of this contributing to fewer crimes with one exception: If people are to be let back out into society, it should happen as soon as possible to avoid the individuals to adjust too much to the prison culture which is not compatible with how society on the outside works. From a functional standpoint, criminals ought to be tried, convicted, rehabilitated and released as quickly and efficiently as possible for the sake of success, or they should be kept in jail forever for the protection of society.
- Norway has a much debated but somewhat restrictive alcohol policy, and the numbers clearly support restriction contrary to the popular opinion. Most crimes are committed while intoxicated, and the vast majority happens under the influence of alcohol.
- Social issues such as little education, poverty and mental health problems more often than not factor into what makes a criminal. We are lucky to not have a lot of murders or serious, violent attacks in Norway. Many of our attacks have been associated with too poor mental healthcare on society’s part.
- Conclusion: Far more restrictive policies concerning guns and alcohol would probably make a huge difference to American crime-rates. To those who object in the name of the individual’s right to party and protect themselves I have only one thing to say: I would much rather live with a slightly “parenting” and overprotective Government’s restrictions than being shot by a mentally ill person who used the gun he keeps to protect himself from thieves or being hit by a drunk driver who just had to take a few too many drinks. Very few children do well without boundaries, and I believe America frequently proves that the same is the case for the adult population. My friends, you are paying a high price for some of your freedoms. Is it really worth it?
Early Sunday morning in Crandon, a small Wisconsin logging town, 20-year-old deputy sheriff Tyler Peterson went on a shooting rampage killing six people and critically wounding another before authorities fatally shot him. A part-time police officer, Peterson fired thirty rounds of ammunition on his ex-girlfriend and a group of friends who had gathered for pizza and movies to celebrate homecoming weekend. Who was Tyler Peterson, and what drove him to murder six people in cold blood? What is the profile of a mass murderer, and does he fit the description? How could Peterson have slipped through the system to become a law enforcement officer, and how do we keep it from happening again? Every day, more than 80 Americans die from gun violence.* From the 1999 Columbine massacre to the nation's deadliest shooting rampage in history at Virginia Tech last April, mass shootings in America continue to draw world scrutiny. Be there when Dr. Phil asks the tough questions. If it's happening now, Dr. Phil is gonna talk about it now! Share your thoughts, join the discussion.
