Forget stats for a minute. Most violent crime is toward a targeted victim. You use an ATM at night in a shady neighborhood... you're asking for trouble. You start an argument in a bar known for belligerent drunks... ditto. So while much of this crime is unavoidable, many victims could've probably taken steps to avoid the incident.

But what about the phenomenon of the shooting spree? What about the poor bastard who happened to be at the shopping mall at precisely the time when Joe Blow... recently fired from his job... appeared with part of his basement arms cache, and decided to take out his frustrations on humanity? What about the poor bastards in Maryland who were picked off one by one, over the course of several weeks, by some bored sniper in a van with his son?

Crime per capita may or may not be higher in England than in the U.S. Times are tough... and crime is high in most densely populated areas of the world. Personally, I'd rather live in a place where I can lessen (not eliminate) the chances of being a victim by following some common sense rules.... than live some place where I can be a victim just because some fucking Rambo snapped, and I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.