In the wake of several knife attacks, Trump labeled London a “war zone” during a speech at a National Rifle Association conference, drawing criticism from the United Kingdom and France. While the President’s remarks have drawn ire, there is evidence of an uptick in London stabbings. From March 2016 to March 2017, there were roughly 34,700 knife/sharp object attacks in the United Kingdom and Wales. Just a year earlier, there had been less than 30,000 attacks.
Rising knife crime in London is frequently cited by proponents of strong gun rights as evidence that taking away guns won’t reduce violence. Such proponents argue that people would simply switch to other weapons, such as knives. Speaking of the attacks in London, Trump said: “They don’t have guns. They have knives and instead there’s blood all over the floors of this hospital. They say it’s as bad as a military war zone hospital…knives, knives, knives. London hasn’t been used to that. They’re getting used to that. It’s pretty tough.”
While London has seen a recent increase in crime, it remains among the safer large cities in the world. Last year, London saw a total of 116 murders. New York City, on the other hand, suffers roughly 300 murders per year. Both cities are home to just over 8.5 million people.
Trump also slammed Chicago for its efforts to curb gun rights. Chicago has some of the toughest gun regulations on the books but remains plagued by violence. Homicides in Chicago had been declining since the mid 90s. However, the city saw a sharp spike in violence in 2015 and 2016, with 762 people murdered and 4,331 people injured by gunfire.
Just a year earlier, Chicago had suffered “only”480 murders, which was the highest level since 1997. Attacks on police officers also doubled in 2016. Gun arrests were up 10 percent in 2016, but even such efforts were incapable of curbing the surge in violence. However, in 2017, homicides dropped to 650, which, while historically high, was an improvement from the year before.
Trump’s comments come after several months of dramatic gun violence. Since the start of 2017, the Sutherland Springs church shooting, the Las Vegas shooting, and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting have left over 100 people dead. In 2016, the Orlando Night Club shooting left another 50 people dead.
Critics claim that easy access to guns, and specifically high capacity, military-grade weapons, are enabling mass shootings. AR-15-style rifles, which are based on the military’s M16 rifle, have proven to be particularly popular for mass shooters. Further, during the Las Vegas shooting, the perpetrator (I never name mass shooting perps) used bump stocks to inflict mass damage by raining a large number of bullets into a compacted crowd.
In the wake of the horrific violence, President Donald Trump has hinted that he would be open to gun control reform. Banning accessories that allow for automatic-like rates of fire has been discussed. President Trump has also hinted at increased background security checks. So far, the National Rifle Association and other gun proponents have been against any substantive reform efforts.
Gun rights proponents have argued that such measures will not curb violence. Instead, assailants will simply use different weapons, including knives and vehicles. Vehicular attacks have become particularly worrisome in Europe, where gun restrictions make it difficult to acquire guns. In 2017, 13 people were killed in Barcelona and eight others on London Bridge as the result of ramming attacks. Another 13 were killed in Berlin and 86 more in Nice (France) in 2016.
