Both the opponents and advocates of civil ownership of firearms should be sure to read the article "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" by Joyce Lee Malcolm on page A11 of the June 17 Wall Street Journal.
It is an excellent summary of affects/effects of government by a largely un elected elite with no understanding of the reality of life for the typical person on society.
Note that while abolition of privately owned firearms was indeed one of their first orders of business, tinkering with the jury system [apparently to prevent "jury nullification"] and the elimination of 800 years of judicial precedent prohibiting double jeopardy, soon followed. It is of interest that this appears to have been used almost entirely against citizens who resist robberies, burglaries, molestation of their children, etc. with or without firearms, while the actual criminals go free because the prisons are full with criminal resisting citizens.
My only surprise is that the general British public has not yet resorted to "lynch law" to avenge the wrongs done then and to protect their persons, their families and their property from future assaults.
Unka George (George McDuffee)
There is something to be said for government by a great aristocracy which has furnished leaders to the nation in peace and war for generations; even a democrat like myself must admit this. But there is absolutely nothing to be said for government by a plutocracy, for government by men very powerful in certain lines and gifted with the "money touch," but with ideals which in their essence are merely those of so many glorified pawnbrokers.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), U.S. Republican (later Progressive) politician, president. Letter, 15 Nov. 1913.