The migrant crisis that is now afflicting Europe has had one unintended consequence. Where such is possible, Europeans are rushing to buy private firearms for self-defense, according to World Net Daily. The problem is that the Second Amendment, which gives Americans the right to keep and bear arms, does not exist in the European Union. In many countries, such as Great Britain and Germany, private citizens, as a practical matter, cannot obtain firearms, especially for personal defense. Austria, on the other hand, has seen a run on rifles and shotguns, generally used for hunting or sports shooting, with the purchasers being primarily women.
In the meantime, gun rights agitation has started to become a thing in some European countries. One report suggests that more Europeans than ever wished that the EU had a Second Amendment.
Wayne Lapierre call your office. Clearly the National Rifle Association has an opportunity here.
The question arises, do Europeans have justification for a heightened fear for their personal safety? The answer, according to the Gatestone Institute, is yes. The influx of refugees, many of them unsocialized young men, from Muslim countries to Europe, has caused an uptick in crime in Germany, for example. Moreover, the German government has not been forthcoming about this fact.
“Asylum seekers are driving a surge in violent crime in cities and towns across Germany. German authorities, however, are downplaying the lawlessness, apparently to avoid fueling anti-immigration sentiment.
“A confidential police report leaked to a German newspaper reveals that a record-breaking 38,000 asylum seekers were accused of committing crimes in the country in 2014. Analysts believe this figure — which works out to more than 100 a day — is only the tip of the iceberg, as many crimes are either not resolved or not reported.
“The current spike in crime — including rapes, sexual and physical assaults, stabbings, home invasions, robberies, burglaries and drug trafficking — comes amid a record-breaking influx of refugees from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Western Balkans.”
Moreover, it looks like the German judicial system and law enforcement have become overwhelmed and have all but given up. Organized crime has risen in Germany, where “a dozen Arab clans hold reign over the city’s criminal underworld. The report says the clans, which are dedicated to dealing drugs, robbing banks and burglarizing department stores, run a ‘parallel justice system’ in which they resolve disputes among themselves with mediators from other crime families. If the German state gets involved, the clans use cash payments or threats of violence to influence witnesses.”
Germany is not alone in experiencing an upsurge of violent crime ascribed to recent migrants from Muslim countries. Gatestone also reports that Sweden has become the “rape capital of the world” with the majority being committed by migrants or children of migrants from Middle Eastern countries. The increase in crimes of violence against women is ascribed to the markedly different attitudes toward the status of women by Middle Easterners, as opposed to that held by Scandinavians. They feel alienated by a culture that they find hostile to their religious beliefs. The refusal of Swedish authorities to come to grips with the problem can be ascribed to a desire not to appear to be racist.
Clearly, if European governments continue to refuse to deal with the problem that is at their doorstep, European people will increasingly be motivated to take matters into their own hands. The choice is whether migrant caused crime is dealt with in an orderly fashion, according to the law, or in a more ugly fashion, with people arming themselves and taking extralegal measures. Clearly, the former solution is preferable. To help stave off the latter, European governments might want to consider instituting American style concealed carry laws, where private citizens are allowed to carry pistols for self-defense, in exchange for a background check and training in the use of firearms, including the ethics of using deadly force. Studies in America suggest that private ownership of firearms tends to tamp down on violent crime. The same principle should apply in Europe as well.
