Latvians all guns confiscated British Bashny.Net

Historical Page

For lovers of weapons are in the world pennant country (USA) and the country-bogey (England). If gunsmith, US law is considered one of the most free, the rules of English law weapon often cited as anecdotes. That there is a criminal prosecution for possession of "realistic replicas of weapons" (Chinese toy factory in this place wept bitterly), or a ban on the removal of airguns from the premises (airsoft standing ovation).



Today in England this picture is no longer possible

In principle, nothing surprising - modern England is clearly suffering deep liberazmom brain. Most interestingly, it was not always the case. And one of the perpetrators of such idiotic gun laws can be considered "evil Latvians»

But in fact, such strikingly dissimilar weapons laws, both in the UK and in the US, however, have common roots. The right to own a gun was guaranteed in the Bill of Rights 1689. However, this "right to own a gun," even then it was exactly in the spirit of the Anglo-Saxons. The fact is that in those days the possession of weapons everywhere was not only the right but also the duty of every free man. A "bill of rights" of the new King William of Orange was talking about the right to own a gun all but Catholics. Smell of Anglo-Saxon order - forbade Catholics and guaranteed rights for all except Catholics.

Whatever it was, already in Victorian England did not have any legal restrictions on gun ownership. Ie weapons sold quite freely - as a cane or umbrella. And no one saw this as a problem. The weapon was an expensive thing, and allow it to itself could only very wealthy gentlemen. City bosota preferred quiet and cheap knives and choke.

Few people know that the stand-up collar to form the British police - an echo of those times when to protect the throat from the police udavok worn around the neck leather collar.



To protect the neck from strangulation cord or rope, conventional weapons robbers garroterov under high collar worn leather collar height of 4 inches (10 cm 2), fastens on the back on a copper castle. He was extremely uncomfortable, and in 1859 it was reduced to a height of 2 inches, and in 1880, a year before he met Holmes and Watson, completely abandoned the collar.

But the welfare of society grew. Weapons prices fell - a natural restriction of the price has almost disappeared. And in 1870 introduced the first license "for those who want to carry a gun outside his home." But this license was almost a notification, and possession of firearms at home does not limit.

In 1903, Britain left the so-called «Pistols Act». He introduced new restrictions, admittedly, reasonable. Forbidden to carry weapons to anyone who «drunken or insane» - «drunk or crazy." And also introduced a license for possession of weapons at home with the barrel shorter than nine inches (~ 22 cm). All other weapons (rifles, handguns with a barrel length, etc.) can be safely stored at home. Acquisition of all weapons based entirely free. And I must say, to get a license to carry then was easy - in fact, arms trafficking remained free. Before World War I in private hands in England, there were more than a quarter million only licensed [!!!] firearms.

But then something happened that literally shocked and shaken law-abiding and measured London ...

Latvian evil thugs - not your London punks!

On the poor outskirts of London's East End, preparing to meet the new 1911 ...

East endsky old jeweler heard a suspicious noise and called the police. The police came, knocked. Police arrived opened some people, it seems, did not understand the stairs and stepped into the interior of the apartment, the police thought he was gone for speaking in English neighbor. Sergeant Bentley and his officers entered the house, but in the dark did not see anything. Suddenly the door opened and a hail of bullets hit the police. Bentley received a bullet in the neck and shoulder, and fell. Constable Woodhams tried to help the sergeant and was shot. Constable Tucker was shot in the chest and died instantly. Constable Shoat was struck by 12 bullets. Sergeant Brian tried to stop the fleeing anarchists, but also was shot. The police, according to the English tradition, armed only with batons beat. Three were dead and two seriously injured. In the general confusion by his own was wounded one of the anarchists.
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So in December 1910 the British police stumbled upon a group of Latvians, punching the wall of a jewelry store. All would be nothing, but ran the London bobbies not ordinary thieves, and cold-blooded "revolutionaries", veterans of the 1905 revolution, fled from the Russian Empire. In fact, after the defeat of the uprising Baltic set of its members had taken refuge in the UK. These frostbitten Latvians mechanically, did not even realizing what they are doing, put five unarmed policemen. For England, it was an unprecedented case, his feet got the whole London police. But anarchists managed to escape.



So the police came to the Latvian anarchists in the Russian Empire. Compare with London.
Illustration of Riga newspaper beginning of the century.

The crime was unheard of. Winston Churchill, then Home Secretory (ie the Minister of Internal Affairs) ordered to find the anarchists and kill them if it is necessary for their detention. First of all examined the crime scene. Explain the strange noise. It turned out that the anarchists were digging a hole in the wall to get to the safe jewelry store located in the same building. Police raided the anarchist apartments in London. Hundreds of anarchists were arrested in pubs, coffee shops, a political club. But from the arrested anarchists police have not been able to achieve.



Apartment Latvians marked with a cross

January 2 has a new, 1911, police received a signal that the gang took refuge in a building on Sydney Street № 100. The four-house was one of ten such as continuous sausage stretching on Sydney Street. More than 200 police officers (all distributed weapons) came to the house of 100. They hid behind fences, walls, houses, stores. Commanded them Superintendent John Ottavey and Inspector Frederick Wensley. Ottavey sent police on apartments and they are during the day quietly, silently evacuated residents. Houses became empty, except for apartments on the second floor, where the Latvian hiding "revolutionaries" and Svaar Dumnieks.



At 7:30 am on January 3rd Sergeant Leeson began throwing gravel at the window of the apartment where the anarchists were hiding in order to tell them that they are surrounded by, and they should surrender. Another policeman knocked on the door of the apartment. In response, the shots rang out. Thus began the famous London «Siege of Sidney Street» (The Siege of Sidney Street). Bullets ricocheted off the cobblestones and smashed shop windows. Killed Sgt Leeson left lying in the street. Two hours of police exchanged fire with the anarchists. Anarchists armed with Mauser C96 three, brought down on the heads of the armed primitive "Bobby" (several tens of singly-charged rifles .22 yes dozen revolvers) a barrage of fire, killing five and seriously wounding 30! The situation was - anecdotal two frostbitten Latvian confronted with a Mauser entire Metropolitan Police. And, as you can see, not without success.



That's such guns were armed anarchists - Finn knew a lot about weapons



Only after several hours of fruitless attempts to police to do something about Churchill had to call the troops. He ordered to move to the place of battle Scotch Guard. Armed to the teeth guards arrived at the scene at 10.15. Army and police chiefs immediately entered into a squabble among themselves about the methods of suppressing the resistance of the anarchists



Although it was a serious breach of protocol, Churchill suddenly arrived at Sydney stirt to personally led the siege.
Note the shotgun in the hands of the police - and it's against the Mauser. Naive Chukchi boys. Xe heh :)

Churchill watched the fire from the apartment of anarchists from the store, and then with a grimace on his face gave the order to deliver a field artillery and turn the house in ruins, if necessary. The battery of horse artillery barracks came from St. John's Woods. However, in the end, Churchill decided before applying artillery, try to take the house by storm. By this time, another six policemen were injured. Scots Guards with rifles took up positions. However, for a moment before the attack was spotted thick smoke rising from the roof of the house. "Hundredth" burned, the fire apparently started on the upper floors and quickly went down. Suddenly one of the anarchists stuck his head out the window. Dozens of guns and pistols shot and anarchist fell inside the apartment.



When firefighters arrived, Churchill did not allow them to begin to extinguish until the halls of the upper floors did not collapse. And collapsed wall of the house, injuring five firefighters. Only then did the police carefully entered the apartment, finding there the charred body Dumniekasa and Svaara.



Churchill and fire

Churchill ordered mass arrests among the Latvian Social Democrats and anarchists - it was announced that they were preparing jewelry store robbery, which managed to heroically prevented. Arrested hundreds of people, but for a show trial, four were selected and among them - twenty-five political emigre Jan Peters (who died Dumniek comes to his cousin). The investigation lasted almost six months; proof down to the layout of this jewelry store, which allegedly was carried out under the tunnel out of the house number 100, were presented with unusual care - 655 pages plus indications of criminal case the minister. In an atmosphere of incredible hype around the process - "Hang!", "Shame murderers!", "Families have lost their breadwinners police!", "Death of robbers and murderers!" - Came the voice of Truth, "they are poor. They had a chance. The king's satraps they were tortured. " And even more: "They are cute».
So began to speak influential circles. One of the initiators of the campaign was to protect Churchill's cousin Claire Sheridan. Starting with the abstract sympathy, she began to go to all court hearings and eventually fell in love with the main person involved in the process - Latvian laborer Jan Peters, killer police in December 1910, and a relative of one of the terrorists who were killed on Sydney Street.
As a result of the defendants ... were released into the wild. Innocence. "For lack of evidence." Churchill gnashed his teeth ...

TOTAL

As a result, a few years later, a new law «Firearms Act» - which obliged to register all weapons, and that the worst thing which the police denied the right to possess anyone who, in their opinion «unfitted to be trusted with a firearm »(untrustworthy with weapons). This was the beginning of the end.

Then limitations fell in abundance:

For example, "The act of maintaining public order", adopted in England December 18, 1936, prohibits any person who is present at a public meeting or participates in a public procession to carry weapons. Guilty of violating this prohibition could be sentenced to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or to a fine not exceeding £ 500.

1937 - the new Firearms Act prohibits any automatic weapon.

1967 - introduced a license for guns.

1968 - set license fees for the carbine.

1988 - banned all semi-automatic, pump action shotguns, short shotguns with shops and any autoloading rifles.

And finally, the Conservative government in 1997 introduced a bill banning all korotkostvol except melkashki .22.
But after winning the election, brings in a bill amendment prohibiting and caliber .22.

In 1997 England became a country "without this nasty weapons»

The Result? Predictable - from 1996 to 2003, the number of violent crimes increased in England by 88 per cent; the number of armed robberies - 101 percent; the number of rapes - by 105 percent, and murder - 24 percent. It is significant that 53% of English burglaries occur when someone is at home, in America, where the robbers are recognized in fear of armed homeowners more than the police, only 13% of these.
A United Nations report in 2002 placed England and Wales in the top row of tables criminality among 18 developed countries. 5 years after the global ban on firearms crime with its use doubled. As it was then predicted effect of criminalizing possession of weapons is that they possess only become criminals.

A police officer Colin Greenwood at Cambridge University conducted a study of the interaction of the public availability of weapons and an increase in crime. Here is his conclusion: "Better control over private ownership of firearms has little effect on crime rates. Armed crimes and especially grave crimes are mostly the product of socio - ethnic factors, is due to the availability of certain types of weapons to civilians. The number of weapons needed to meet the needs of the criminal world, quite small, and this demand is always satisfied, regardless of which there are legal restrictions on arms trafficking. No significant evidence that the tightening of controls, as - that restricts access of criminals to firearms. »

So vicious thugs Latvian disarmed an entire people :)

szhaman