A bow is not less lethal than than a firearm.
I would beg to differ. It has a lower chance of being as lethal as a gun.
Not counting crossbows. They're just as impassionate a weapon as a gun but taking some of what I have written below into account, still potentially less lethal.
You can often see an arrow coming. Giving you a fractionally better chance of avoiding it.
It takes a slightly more time and more effort for the archer to draw an arrow, aim and loose at a target.
A bow, and its arrows are more difficult to conceal. You can get very powerful, small composite bows that could be hidden, but to do so effectively they would need to be un-strung first. For a criminal to string a bow, select an arrow, draw, aim and loose..... I stand a good chance of rugby tackling him to the floor, or if I'm too far away, giving it legs. Retreating, diagonally and very very quickly. Soon enough I will be at a range where the arrow's lethality will be negligible. With a dense, heavy bullet fired at 10 times the speed I'll be in the danger zone for much longer.
The archer has got to account for a more difficult trajectory than a gun. The affects of the wind will be stronger. A lone archer has a vanishingly small chance of hitting a moving target hell bent on not being hit.
Bullets, especially non jacketed rounds can have a tendancy to fragment and ricochet if hitting bone and cause much more damage in the surrounding tissue. Arrows can fracture or snap. But they travel at speeds that wil not usually send those fragments into other parts of the body.
Arrows do not cause great internal pressure waves when it hits flesh. An exit wound with an arrow is often a good thing. Makes it easier to extract.
Arrows maintain their aerodynamic shape throughout the penetration of the body. Yes some cultures' arrowheads are designed to break off in the wound and that can also happen by accident. But the point is, historically in such cases death normally follows after days of suppuration then finally succumbing to infection. With today's surgery and antibiotics you're far less likely to die that way.
Most arrows nowadays are used for target sport and therefore the most easily obtained. They have very narrow heads and would go straight through flesh with minimal resistance. Chances of injuring a vital artery are just as high as a bullet but for the majority of the human target, chances of a killing hit are lessened. Internal organs aren't blown to shreds. If shot clean through in the arm or leg by an arrow, you stand a good chance of walking for help as most of the muscle will be unaffected and if the arrow is left in place, little loss of blood. There's not much bruising compared to bullet wounds
It takes a true imbecile to kill or injure somebody, or themselves accidentally by bow and arrow. I know it happens. But 99% of the time, both parties end up laughing about it afterwards
Suicide by bow and arrow sounds almost comical.......... I'm not aware of a single case.
Yes, bows and arrows are lethal and have been designed to be lethal from the outset.. But are they less lethal a gun? I should say so.
Anyone skilled with a sharp knife and a little knowledge or trial and error can make a bow and arrow (not talking fancy composite bows. in that case you need very strong glue and any material you can get your hands on). I shaped my first longbow at age 6 with an old bowyer mentor. Still got it. Give me a yew tree and a sharp knife and I'll carve you a weapon that used
en masse, IS as lethal as a gun, but also genuinely un-regulatable.
It takes a bit more effort, money and machinery to make a gun, with the right metals and knowledge of what temperatures to temper it. Even a crossbow needs a higher level of manufacture than most can safely manage in their sheds. Therefore, the majority of the armed citizenry rely on factories to make their weapons and simply hand over the money for them after waiting a couple of weeks only to see if you've got any prior convictions. I find that quite, quite scary.
I think a civilized society needs a bit more than that to control just who does get their hands on a weapon that requires no skill, no effort, and no thought to wield. Training and vigilance are all fair and well when the world runs like clockwork. However guns are one of the few items that can so easily be used incorrectly and devastatingly.
I'm English, but believe me, my views are in no way affected by government opinion. I can arrive at certain logical conclusions without a nanny state.
I do feel for the Americans and South Africans and other nations where you chance upon crossing a bad guy with a gun on a much more regular basis. You have a more difficult decision to reach upon the necessity of a gun. And I can understand the decision you make for personal safety. But for we who do have total gun bans enforced and reduced gun crime there of, it really does work for the sheer majority. I strut condifently through streets and alleys assured that I may never see a bad guy with a gun waiting for me.
I don't see any nations that has a gun ban where the masses are crying out for softer controls.
Out of interest, those that carry weapons, what constitutes a bad guy that would force you to take action?
Dangerous, charging wild animal?
Thief?
Murderer?
Mugger?
Crazed maniac?
Assassin?
Organised criminal?
King of England?
For the top seven I'd say let the law or authorities deal with it and if you can, stay well out of it. But only if you have a just and responsive legal system.
Organised Crime....... they're likely to be quite organised. Tread carefully.
King of England........ We don't have one at the moment. But for when Charles ascends the throne I feel that a re-conquest of the Americas is an unlikely priority.
To be on guard, mentally alert, scanning for potential threats every day and carrying lethal protection for the slim chance I might get attacked in some way, is a concern I can do without. If I felt that way where I live I would consider myself paranoid.
Regarding my comments about archery and the lethality of bows. I don't advocate them being kept at home. Far from it, they can just as easily fall into the wrong hands as a firearm can.
