From: Martin Minow <minow@apple.com>
Date: Mon, 2 Sep 1996 11:11:50 +0800
To: "James A. Donald" <bygg@sunet.se
Subject: RE: Desubscribe
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"James A. Donald" <jamesd@echeque.com>, writes:
>I heard on talk.politics.guns somebody say that in Sweden they
>had banned knives with a sharp point at the end, and were going
>to ban sharp knives altogether.  I think he was just engaging in
>hyperbole, that he really meant that gun control in Sweden was
>unreasonably strict, but on reflection I am not sure.
>

In a survey conducted in Sweden a few years ago, 50% of Swedish
households had access to guns (generally military service weapons
and sporting shotguns). Guns are, however, licensed and regulated,
and seldom used in crimes. Licenses for "personal protection" are
almost unobtainable. At least one military officer was court martialed
when his service revolver was stolen from his automobile.

The most significant "mass murderer" crimes in Sweden (one last
year and one in the 1970's) were caused by people who used their
legally-obtained military weapons.

Martin Minow (ex-resident of Sweden)
minow@apple.com