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Acid attacks in the UK are becoming increasingly common. The reason is simple but the timing isn't. In the UK, guns are generally illegal and gun ownership is more of a touchy subject than in the US. I understand that criminals with guns receive a mandatory five year prison sentence. Strict gun control has pushed most criminals to knives. However, after mandatory sentences for knife ownership, criminals are now choosing to injure victims with acid.
Although gun and knife injuries may require extensive rehabilitation, partial recovery from acid attack may be more costly. One victim required 40 operations and continues to receive frequent, lifelong surgery to alleviate complications such as scar tissue on windpipe.
Attackers and victims have a wide variety of backgrounds. In a very English manner, two attackers who were obviously paid, said sorry before attacking one victim. One attacker was a very minor celebrity before and after attacking people in a nightclub and there have been numerous attacks in Scotland. Some incidents are "honor" attacks among immigrants who, for whatever reason, fail to assimilate. However, there has been an increase in acid attacks among ethnic minorities in East London.
The BBC reports that:
The Met Police is "seeing some links" between criminal gangs and the recent spike in acid attacks in London, a senior officer has said.
Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey said the force was "seeing a move across" to gang members using acid and corrosive fluids in attacks.
But he cautioned evidence was limited as "it's a small data set".
On Monday, MPs debated measures, including tougher sentences, for attacks involving corrosive substances.
The government has also proposed classifying such substances as dangerous weapons.
The deputy commissioner supported efforts to tackle the issue, saying some of the substances are "not even defined by law".
"The impact this sort of attack has on people is extraordinary," he said.
"Many of us have been unfortunate to see quite a bit in our services but acid attacks are really extraordinary and strike at something quite horrific in people's psyche."
Although many incidences are inter-gang attacks (or a brief campaign against food delivery), there are also incidences where acid attack occurs in conjunction with robbery. One pernicious trend is around moped and scooters which are relatively cheap, relatively fast and cut through traffic. They are relatively easy to steal and it is almost impossible to halt a theft in progress. Well, moped crime now occurs in conjunction with acid attack. Variants include using acid to steal a moped from a rider and using a moped to exit the scene of an acid attack.
London police now have 1000 anti-acid kits and every police car will carry 5 liters of water. Although this is useful for acid attacks against police, it does nothing to halt worsening injuries prior to emergency response. This is of particular concern when acceptable response time for emergency services is re-defined in response to failing targets. The most recent incident, which occurred within 100 metres of the local fire department, incurred a 20 minute response from police.
Although there is a strong political reaction that something must be done, these incidences overshadow a police pursuit death in the vicinity which has similarities to a death in 2011 which sparked rioting in multiple English cities.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday July 27 2017, @03:52PM (17 children)
Where do you live? Here, in the USA, a violent criminal who "can't get a gun" because of his police record simply goes to the black market to buy his guns. Or, simply steals them from somewhere. There is no shortage of guns among criminals.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Thursday July 27 2017, @03:57PM (10 children)
Not only that, but a lot of crazed shooters don't have a police record, or don't have a bad enough record to prevent them from getting a gun (sometimes thanks to NRA lobbying to restrict the government from barring access to firearms to mentally unstable people). If nothing else, they can easily get some idiot relative of theirs to buy one for them; that's what the Sandy Hook shooter did after all.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday July 27 2017, @04:22PM (8 children)
That's an odd way of characterizing the Sandy Hook cretin. His mother didn't buy the weapons for him. She bought them for herself. He KILLED HIS OWN MOTHER to get her weapons. That, right there,ranks among the lowest of the depths of depravity. Killing a couple dozen little children isn't any worse than killing your own mother.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 27 2017, @04:59PM
it's right on the label. taking our "meds" may make you a violent raving looney. attack big pharma's officers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 28 2017, @09:08AM (6 children)
Runaway, runaway! Must you persist in being so uninformed? I almost said, "stupid", but I didn't, but now I have reconsidered, so why must you be so stupid? The mother bought the guns for her son, since he was a minor, so that by taking up shooting sports he might not be quite so insane as he was, what with his relation to his father. This is the same Ammosexual Therapy that that American Sniper dude tried to do on the fellow vet with something beyond PTSD. In both cases it proved fatal to the attempted therapist, and in the Sandy Hook incident, to a bunch of innocent children as well.
So I hope you do not have criminal background that precludes you from buying weapons, and I can only hope that you do not find some crazy that you think you can straighten out by teaching them the fine art of target shooting. But if you don't, and if you do, well, Second Amendment, Bro!
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday July 28 2017, @05:52PM (5 children)
I don't know where you get your "facts". Mother was into shooting. She also introduced her son to shooting. She did NOT buy the guns "for her son" as you imply. In the final weeks of her life, Mother was actually considering having the boy institutionalized, because he was getting to be to much to handle. The kid acted when he did, apparently because he felt betrayed by Mother, as well as fearing his loss of freedom. As near as I recall from all the stories, not one of those weapons "belonged to" the kid.
You'll need citations to make me even consider your narrative.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 28 2017, @11:22PM (4 children)
Yes, she did, you uninformed, barely literate, goat-roping buffoon! Just because you think you know something, Runaway, that does not make it so. You can be, have been, and often are, just plain wrong. Remember the whole "population of China" thing? The "Trump born in Bahamas" incident? The whole "Muslim forced-conversion" controversy? So again, you are wrong.
I hear that Ginkgo-biloba is good for preventing memory loss in the later years. But citations are better.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday July 28 2017, @11:29PM (3 children)
"But citations are better."
Correct - and you obviously have none.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 29 2017, @12:45AM (2 children)
My point is, neither do you? Sorry to have to beat you over the head with this, Runaway, but that is evidently the only way you learn, in those rare instances when you learn. But it was your claim originally, the burden of proof is on you!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 29 2017, @06:31AM
The parent AC has a point, Runaway. Cite your sources for this. I think you may be wrong.
(Score: 2) by Wootery on Thursday August 03 2017, @10:24AM
How about one of you quit whining and actually post a citation?
Looks [nytimes.com] to me [breitbart.com] like all [slate.com] the guns used in the Sandy Hook shooting were stolen from the shooter's mother, herself murdered with one of her own rifles.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 27 2017, @08:41PM
Between the laughing dad getting his "sad camera face" on while news cameras were already recording, the "out one door, around the building, in the other", pedestrian footage from the chopper, the laughable claimed circumstances of the white bearded fraud, and the rapid closure and utter obliteration of the alleged crime scene, it's quite safe to say that the "Sandy Hook massacre" never happened.
(Score: 0) by fakefuck39 on Friday July 28 2017, @09:37PM (5 children)
I live in Chicago. About a hundred people shot per week on average. No, where I live violent criminals cannot get a gun because of his police record. They can steal them from somewhere or get them from the black market - just like anyone, which has nothing to do with what I said - it only has to do with bs you made up that I did not say.
You would have to be a complete bumbling fool so say allowing criminals to get guns with a police record on file is better than not letting them get one legally. A complete fucking retard - you.
Where do you live? Here in the USA criminal neighborhoods have lots of violent criminals shooting each other with illegally obtained I guns. Those neighborhoods are geographically separated, and around the downtown skyscraper I live it, there are very few illegal guns. But there are plenty of legal guns. Do visit the states sometimes - you might learn something about how Americans live, you curry retard.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday July 28 2017, @10:25PM (4 children)
Jesus H. Curry retard? I live here, knucklehead. Maybe you should read my post again. To sum it up, I stated that our gun laws have negative value. They are costly to enforce, they are ineffective, and they are worse than having no laws regarding guns. Complete bumbling fool, you say? Just drive down to city hall in Chicago, look around, and take your pick of bumbling fools. If you don't find enough there, you can go to Springfield to find more.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 28 2017, @11:29PM
Runaway is more of a "chittlin's and Collard greens" kind of retard. "Scrapple and headcheese" retard. Now I am starting to see why Runaway is so afraid of religions that ban pork.
The GP did say that. Is there a problem?
(Score: 0) by fakefuck39 on Saturday July 29 2017, @04:12AM (2 children)
Yes retard. With quite a bit of text I pointed out that you replied to something I didn't say. I guess it takes morons a really really long time to understand anything not said straight-forward. Oh wait - I did say it even plainly in my post. Do you often pick someone's comment, make up it's content, and reply to that made up BS in your head?
My original post was not arguing gun laws moron. To sum it up:
I post that the normal population having guns lets them fight back against criminals who get guns anywise, unlike in Europe/UK.
Your reply: nuh-uh, criminals can still get guns illegally.
Then you missed to understand the entire fucking paragraph of me accusing you of shit that you obviously didn't say. Just like you did. Clearly you are not Indian, and clearly as you stated you are an American. A really really stupid American.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 29 2017, @07:55AM (1 child)
Yes, with Runaway you really have to dial down the reading comprehension level. Not smarter than 5th grader, as Jeff Foxworthy would say. Give Runaway a month, but even then, he may just boomerang back to what Sean Hannity (Evil) had to say. Poor Runaway. We all have hope for him. Not realistic hope, but hope nonetheless.
(Score: 0) by fakefuck39 on Sunday July 30 2017, @08:47AM
I don't really pay attention to usernames when I shit all over someone, but I'm glad people like this douche are here. I love having retarded loud people around. It's like having your own personal clown to entertain you. 20 years ago I used to point and laugh at the slow kids before I stuffed them into lockers. Only the ones who were loud and arrogant. Nowadays, whenever I get one that gets through the resume screening and starts saying stupid shit, I invite coworkers to the interview room and we do fake interviews, and have a good laugh at the person - to his face. More clowns. We need more loud clowns.