Safety: Reverse culture shock from visiting the USA after living in Scotland for 3 years. 

Thank you for pointing out that knife crime is actually worse in the USA than the UK. I get tired of Americans online coming out with the idea that knife crime over here is rife. It's because we talk about it so much as it worries us. School shootings. Dunblane affected the public in the UK profoundly. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say the nation was traumatised. We all know where we were when we heard about Dunblane. It wasn't just that school shootings are so rare but that the children were so young. At the time my own children were the same age. I clearly remember being stuck in a traffic jam on the way to work listening to a report on Radio 4 and I started to weep openly. I looked across and saw the guy in the car next to me was crying to. I guess he was listening to the same reporter. It would have been unthinkable for the country not to change its attitude to guns at that point. It's very sad that Sandy Hook didn't do the same to the USA.

I'm glad your family is in Scotland, a safe and civilised country.

As a Texan who spends a lot of time in the UK, I found the statistics you shared sobering. There's a lot of things l love about the US but this is not one of them. While we were in the UK there was a mass shooting at the outlet mall (in Allen, TX) where we regularly shop. All our politicians can do is offer their "thoughts and prayers" and blame poor parenting and the degradation of society. It's absurd.

I used to work for Wiltshire police in UK. The Inspector i worked for told me that the force had NEVER had to shoot an active shooter in its history.

I'm Canadian and used to travel a great deal in the USA. Not anymore. I got tired of the ignorance and the fact that you have to be situationally aware all the time. As a man with a young family I totally agree with your decision to get the hell out of there. Your children will grow up safe,healthy,and well educated.

It's sad to hear that children cannot play together openly in the US, this activity is extremely important in the formation of social cohesion later in life .

Some 13 Years ago there was a story in the paper about an American lady from Texas who had moved to Edinburgh, Scotland to marry her Scotsman. She worked at Boots the Chemist and was very popular with her co-workers being a loud and funny lady. Unfortunately issues with her Visa saw her having to return to the US. One evening she was tragically gunned down at a Diner along with other customers. Her husband had to go to the states and bury her. Never forgot it. I always worry about all my American friends.

It's worth mentioning that after the Dunblane school shooting you mentioned, the law was changed effectively banning all handguns for private individuals, hence no more school shootings, almost nobody protested against this law change. Anyone caught with a handgun now, even a replica can expect a 5 year jail sentence.

I am from Prague and not too long ago I was on business trip to Los Angeles. As I was waiting at the intersection for the green light, a stranger approached my car and pointed a gun directly at my head. No words spoken, his hand was shaking, obviously he was under illicit drugs). The feeling of utter horror and hopelessness (try to defend yourself against a gun, unarmed and fastened, seated down), I was in such a shock that I thought to myself: This is it! It's over for me, I am going to die right here on my way to work at 8AM in this ugly dirty LA far away from beautiful home. He didn't pull the trigger and the light turned green, I stepped on gas. This was the craziest thing that ever happened to me and this made me paranoid whenever I travel to USA, I am just uneasy. I cherish and appreciate much more Europe and the place where I come from now. Just feel bad for decent pacifist Americans.

Visiting the US after living in Scotland is like going to the third world. It's not only the guns, it's the deprivation, the dilapidation, ignorance, people who can't afford the doctor and dentist, the old banger cars ...

I was truly shocked to learn that the entire German police force fires less aimed shots in a year than the Dallas police in a day!

I'm a Brit living in NZ, I was working in Christchurch CBD, out on the streets the day of the mosque attacks. Like the UK & Australia this one event was sufficient to see the law changed to restrict gun ownership. I find it hard to fathom how the US government can fail to take action to protect the safety of their citizens and the safety of visitors to the US. Allowing one act of terrorism is sufficient for most governments to review their safety plans snd make changes to the laws to attempt to prevent further incidents, this is why we have government.

After that one school shooting in Dumblane Scotland they passed a major gun control bill and there have been no school shooting in the UK since then.

Thanks for this. I used to think that Americans were a people living in denial of the facts. The truth however is that, until the internet came along, they were deliberately kept in the dark and never told the facts. Through the centuries, other countries have made the same mistakes and learned from them. But America ignores world history. The belief there is that if it's American, it's bigger and better. We'll see in due course. BTW, delighted you chose Scotland as your new home. 👍

I am pleased to hear you feel safe in our lovely country. I have visited America and love Boston. I saw a facebook post a few weeks ago about a young child about 4 years old killing his younger sister with a gun taken from his parents bedside cabinet. How could anyone live with that and still want a gun???

People like you are the best people to represent America over here, I was very impressed at your explanation of the stats and facts regarding safety in the uk.

Imagine gping to Asda or the local pub and there is some guy with an AR15 strapped to their body? They would all be empty here, nobody would go. I don't understand how people live like that.

I have got to the point where I think that the risks of visiting the USA outweigh any thrill that would normally come with visiting the USA. I did visit nearly 20 years ago and it was something in the back of my mind at the time, but these days I think that there are so many other, safer places to visit that also have a great deal to see. Even places like Angola, Iran and Lebanon have lower murder rates than the USA.

Thanks for this. In fact the UK and Scotland have got plenty of guns in private hands. My own brother has several - he used them for sport - hunting is a major sport in Scotland and in the highlands. It's considered posh, but he went shooting on many occasions to help farmers with pest control. No one in the UK sees any need to liberalise gun control. It keeps us safe, ensures that guns are stored properly and safely (annual inspections are carried out). The atrocity in Dunblane focussed the mind of the government, despite members of our gun lobby (for example Prince Philip himself) trying to point out that you can kill people with a cricket bat. This is of course true, but you can't kill 30 kids within 3 minutes and not expect to get tackled by the school janitor or a teacher. And beaten senseless with your own bat. Many of the arguments for retaining gun freedoms in the US are just as ridiculous. Why is the USA so afraid of this? I believe it is because of the disproportionate influence of the NRA and most especially the gun manufacturing lobby which funds the NRA - and funds far too many politicians as well. Because of them the media also perpetuates many myths about what the US public could expect if proper controls on gun ownership and carrying were put in place. Until the influence of the gun lobby is properly curtailed, all this will only get worse - I'm glad you hope to see it change even if not in your lifetime, but I still think that is pretty optimistic. As for knife crime, Scotland has traditionally been a knife carrying and using society, and was probably much more violent than the USA at times - at least in certain areas. In (I think) the 1970s the police issued a knife amnesty and thousands of weapons were handed in. They also had projects to go into schools to inform people about the dangers of using knives in fights. The result was a massive reduction in the (mis)use of knives across the board. This is only one of the initiatives undertaken by Police Scotland which positively impacted the face of policing itself, another being a multi-faceted approach to drug use and drug related crime. For a country which was plagued by gang violence in the early to mid 20th century, which included the murderous use of swords on open battle in Scottish cities, enormous changes have been made. Wonder when, if ever, the US will realise that it can be done, or find the political will to do it.

Hello Peter. I worked in the US for 6 months in 1994 on Staten Island (NY) for my UK employer. I had a great time, but I was always aware of my own safety. One thing that amazes me is that such a rich country places the health of its citizens so low that so many can’t afford proper health insurance, but it then allows you to go Walmart and buy a firearm! You are in Scotland, I’m in Wales so I believe you get the same benefits as I get, i.e., free prescriptions. Great isn't it!

Scotland has tougher gun laws than England, and half the population of London. Near here we had the 1987 Hungerford massacre, 16 killed including the shooter's mother before the shooter shot himself. This incident proved difficult to contain, the shooter kept changing location, the two police forces were not coordinated and were getting different emergency reports, an armed robbery, loud noises, a domestic incident. Lessons were learnt. What UK police do now though, is not go in guns blazing but to evacuate and cordon off, contain the shooter then wait. This incident and Dunblane led to banning virtually all hand gun ownership.

I'm a Scot myself...... there's so much I love about American culture, particularly music, but Firearms and Religion are two things over there that I really can't get my head around.

Peter, did you hear about the recent shootings in a Texas state fair food court? It is a frightening prospect to never know when some disgruntled citizen might seek to quiet the voices in their head down the barrel of a semi-automatic weapon.

I live in rural Wales where non-domestic violence of any kind is vanishingly rare and gun crime is almost unknown. I was a policeman in London for six years before coming home to Wales and even there violent crime was unusual and mostly confined to certain areas at certain times. Statistically if a person carries a weapon they are more likely to be a victim of a violent assault, it is if carrying a knife or a gun makes someone a target. The gun epidemic in the US will be very difficult to fix, it is as though the western pioneer gun culture is ingrained deeply in the US national mythos. Before being a police officer I was a British soldier and thus I am very familiar with firearms and the employment of deadly force, I am delighted that here in the UK the general public don't need to carry any form of weapon for self defence and most people have little or no experience of using firearms. As for the American far right argument that an armed populace is required for the safety of the nation I would like to point out that the USA would be effectively impossible to invade militarily by a foreign power and that we in Britain have not been overrun successfully in the last 957 years.

There's a lot of wonderful people and places in the US - Berkeley and Seattle I particulrly know - I lived and worked there for 11 years. Now I am back home. Edinburgh. I did see a policeman with a gun; a few years ago, in London. There is violence here, murder and mayhem, but not the anxiety that is general in parts of the US. While in Dallas, working, for a year, I arrived at a murder scene - young man shot dead, for no apparent reason - and saw a violent car chase past the house I was in; police after a robbery getaway. Here, in the last ten years, the worst crime I have seen was a man pulling his pants down and mooning at a pub he'd just been thrown out of.

As children we went out to play and wouldn’t return until the street lights came on .

I used to have this debate a lot... so I said "why don't you go around with a Level IIIA plates/carrier and ballistic helmet?" and the general response I got was "because I would look like a psychopath" and yeah, many outside of the US think anyone who just carries a gun "just in case" are psychopaths.

Hello , here in Glasgow we had a horrific knive problem up to about the 70s , a program was introduced to reduce these crimes and it was so successful that senior police officers from the US and other countries visited to learn of the system , glad you've made your home here , all the best .

It drives me mad when US Americans bring up knife crime in the UK as some kind of 'gotcha' when anyone mentions gun deaths in the US. The US has a way higher rate of stabbings. When I try to tell them that, they just won't have it 😅😬

I worked with a guy when I was an apprentice, he’s still going at 90, he told me when he was doing his National Service in the RAF in the 50’s based in Adergrove in Belfast, he was friendly wit a bloke from Glasgow, they were big boxing fans, so used to come over to Glasgow on the weekend to watch the boxing, at the time there was a lot of trouble with razor gangs in Glasgow, apparently this was quite a problem at the time, so they brought an old ‘hanging judge’ from the Highlands and Islands circuit to Glasgow, the first guy who came up before him and found guilty of slashing with a razor he gave him 25 years in Barlinnie, the problem ceased overnight

I love that you said 'we' when referring to Scotland!

Dunblane is still an epoch moment for most adults 40+ in the UK. Hopefully you and your families experience in Scotland/UK is everything you want and need. Subbed.

I was in the US about 15 years ago. Myself and a friend were in Virginia and we went to get ourselves something to eat at a bar diner. While sitting in the bar we noticed that nearly every guy had an empty gun holster. We were puzzled by this and asked the waitress why they had empty gun holsters. She said that under state law you cannot carry your gun into a place where alcohol is served. We thought about this and then replied to her that it's just as well we are decent people, as we now know that nearly every car parked outside probably has a loaded firearm inside and we've only been in your country for a week.

when I was a lot younger, I watched lots of American TV shows (I live in Glasgow). They always looked great and I always wanted to visit. I've actually worked in America (on business) I was told and was quite worried about driving on the interstate due to random shootings in cars etc. I have a few friends in America and have asked them if they have a gun and why. usually, they say it's for "protection".. and when pressed they say wild animals.... really? in a city... Scotland is not perfect, you are at risk of verbal abuse in the wrong areas, but not really much else. I feel safe when i travel anywhere in the UK. (except Edinburgh smells.. 😜) I still worry for my children, but not for getting shot... mostly getting lost taking a bus etc. The only people who can change the gun culture is the people themselves. They NEED to push for very strict gun control and take a step back and see who is profiting from the gun and ammo sales etc. At the end of the day its the love of money which dictates if there is a gun culture or not. if nobody bought the guns then the gun lobby would be much less powerful and the "gifts" to politicians would be pitiful. AMMEND the second ammendment to impose a stricter sense to it. "a well regulated militia" seems to have turned into "everybody gets a gun for any purpose" Its actually very sad to see the gun culture and the idiots who push it. In Scotland you can own guns, and a few folk do. but why would you "need" one? most are only ever used in target gun ranges. the rules are very strictly enforced. and we don't have any wild animals except the wild haggis...

From the UK but live in Cincinnati had two high-school friends visit, we went out on a Sat downtown. They were watching the local news Sunday while I made breakfast, three gun deaths Sat night. They said that would be for the whole country, No!! Cincy. I told them one murder was 1cblock away from a bar we had been on. They could not believe it nice review.

We are very proud of our country...SCOTLAND ❤❤

The gun thing in the USA is unbelievable - it's like the wild west still - can't fathom it at all - sad 😢 so glad I don't live there - can't see it changing - if masses of school shootings let alone the daily toll of death have so far not changed anything then what will - I recall seeing a Christmas photo - think it was a republican congressman and his family - christmas tree in the background - whole family including kids holding guns and smiling - absolutely sickening - just not right in head these people - don't go back - stay in Scotland it's braw 😊

I had a few opportunities to work in the US over the last 20 years, but the safety issue was the deciding factor in staying here in the UK. I visited the US a lot through my work, but never wanted to stay - and now am not very keen to ever go back for that very reason.

I was born and raised in Northern Ireland, which is the one part of the UK where the police do carry guns. That was always the case, even before The Troubles. During The Troubles, they were carrying things like Sterling SMGs in addition to their pistols, and weren't shy about pointing them at you. I've had the opportunity to look down the barrel of a Sterling on many occasions. Thankfully, I now live in Scotland.

One statistic you missed, since police forces were merged into Police Scotland in 2013, a report this summer details in that ten years there were 605 murders only ONE from 2019 is unsolved (there may be some currently under investigation) that's a clearance rate that's pretty much unheard of

I'm Irish and it's practically impossible for me to obtain a firearm, and it's highly regulated for those that do. BUT I don't think there is anything the USA can do about guns, there's just too many in private hands.

I visited Cardiff a few months ago as a birthday treat. We voluntarily handed in our cake knife when we entered the Senedd (parliament) - a large but blunt cheese knife with prongs on the end which seemed ideal for the purpose - to be collected on the way out. I was surprised to be engaged in conversation by police officers before we left pointing out it is now illegal to have a knife in a public place (even very tiny fixed bladed knives are banned) unless you have a convincingly compelling reason. They didn’t consider a birthday cake one of those and we ‘gave it up voluntarily’.

I spent the first 55 years of my life in Scotland and never heard a gunshot. I then spent the next ten years in Pennsylvania and in that time heard literally - and I do mean literally - tens of thousands of gunshots. I did live at the edge of the suburbs and the properties were pretty big, so the next door neighour had their own little range as did two others I believe. They made extensive use of their facilities and must have spent an enormous amount on ammo alone. Scary. Glad to be home.

Thanks for being frank. It must be difficult for you to call it out as an American. Kudos to you. Car crash deaths are 4 times higher (per capita) in the US than the UK too. Very sad. Any solution will take time - but stopping gun sales would be a start.

Interesting video and comparison 🖖

I'm 65 years old and have lived in Scotland all my adult life. Currently I live in a small town of about 25,000 people outside of Edinburgh. We had a stabbing here 13 years ago, apart from that I've never heard of a fight involving any sort of weapon taking place here. Fists yes, knives no. Never heard of anyone having a gun here. I've seen handguns exactly twice in my life, carried by armed police protecting the route on some royal event or other. The most likely way I'm going to die or get injured here is in a traffic accident, statistically, or a household accident like falling down the stairs. I know there is knife violence around in the city down the road but it's never even brushed close to me or my family and gun violence just isn't relevant to my life at all. We get on with our lives, basically feeling safe. I can't imagine living in the US with the fear of random gun violence ever present, it's just not in my range of life experience. Edinburgh has a population of 500,00 approx btw. Can't remember the last time there was a shooting in Edinburgh, even a knife crime would make the headlines.

I've lived in Aberdeen for 45 years, and saw my first police officer with a gun a few weeks back. Just getting a burger in McDonalds. lol. So not in use. I mean, I've known we have a limited amount of armed response units around all the time, but never before seen. Like most cities, there are times and places you need to be a bit careful (mostly involving drunk people looking for fights), but generally we are pretty safe, and are not constantly in fear. Many years ago, I was in Edinburgh, and a small group of us went out drinking after an event. One of those was a visiting Texan. He couldn't believe it when a couple of the group (including my wife but not myself) headed back to our various hotels/B&B's, individually, just heading out of the pub to walk to the bus stop / flag a taxi. I didn't get why he was so shocked and concerned until now....

Sad to see the state of the USA today. It wasn't always like that. It just seems to be in a severe cultural decline for some reason. It's infecting Europe to some degree.

You said "autumn" well done!!

Reading the local paper here in south Scotland where court reports tell me the biggest problems seem to be drunkenness and linked disturbances and driving offences under the affluence of inkohol, violence to partners, petty theft and shoplifting and the odd drugs offences often linked to transport of quantities into Scotland on the A74(M)motorway, along with non drunk-driving infractions like speeding. In short, nothing that the police need guns for, and even tazers are very rarely deployed here.

Lovely views of Arran from Portencross - I was brought up in Seamill 100 yds from the sea and spent virtually all my free time next to, or on top of, or in, or under the sea. Fantastic childhood - I hated going away somewhere else on holiday! Most days my parents had no idea where I was and what I was getting up to. I well remember Mr Shedden who fished for lobsters and moored his boat, I think, right next to the Portencross castle. The very first gun I saw was a policeman's revolver in Belfast on July the 12th - must have been around 1963. I was shocked - I don't think I saw another gun for perhaps another ten years (probably in Spain) - apart from my cousin's rifle which he brought back from California where he had worked on a horse ranch for a few years - but that was in the context of killing vermin on his dad's farm in northeast Scotland.

When I was 11 (that was in 1948) my parents swapped houses with a couple who had just moved to London from where we had all lived in Lancashire. We stayed in their house in Tottenham and they in ours. One day my mother gave me some money take the bus to Wood Green from Bruce Castle and then to London so I could go around the circle line on my own and of course come back for dinner.. It all went well and was exciting finding out and asking the way etc. Would any parent of an 11 year old boy do that these days?

Welcome to Scotland mate. It's a beautiful country, for the hardy, and a wonderful place to live. ❤

I have a nephew that has moved to the states when I bring up the thought of gun control he calls me a typical American hating brit. Nothing could be further than the truth . Here and New Zealand I think after shooting atrocities we banned guns and the populace said ok we do not need them. America seems to think they are safer with everyone owning a gun. A different mind set separated by a common language.

I live in the middle of Scotland but I have travelled in my lifetime but one place I have never visited except on layovers was America and it is not a place I want to go to. Here, I locked my door in 2016 when I went to Canada for two months, the delivery guys know my door is open as I have told them just to open the door and put the package inside, they all know this. The only thing I have to worry about are the speeders except they mainly take care of themselves by crashing. I have worked in Europe a lot and never felt scared, as the one thing common to here and Europe is you can walk up to a policeman and talk to them, armed or not, if cops are afraid of the public then they need to get a job as a mall cop. It's like the commonest phrase that comes out of America, "The greatest country in the world", really, have you ever left it, because if you had you would realise, it is certainly not that.

We went to the U.S. on holiday once, we will never go back. We were traumatised by the aggression meted out to us by the police when stopped for being just 7mph over. We heard gunfire many times in the 3 weeks we were there.

Welcome, you made the right decision 👍🏻

Very interesting video 👍

Police don't carry guns in New Zealand, Ireland, Iceland or Norway either, all have very low crime.

Lived in the States for 31years and never felt unsafe. Worked in Washington DC and lived in Virginia. I walked my dog with no fear. It all depends where you live. We were in the suburbs. We have been back in the UK for 10 years now.

I'm a Scot, and I'm proud to say that I can't carry a gun. I'm glad our policeman can't carry them either. When anyone here is shot it makes headlines because it's so rare. I would NEVER go to the US. I'd be too scared of being shot, and after that I wouldn't be able to pay my medical bills.

4:36 ...and thirty is relatively high for the UK.

My experiences in the US, as a visitor, is that there is a sort of cultivated paranoia, I'm sure to keep people onside with the gun lobby. Go across into Canada, and people are altogether more relaxed, as carrying any weapon in a public place is prohibited. In England, the only places where I would be worried to go are in the inner city ghetto areas, and then it would be knives and / or robbery to be worried about. As I'm a slob, I doubt if anyone would think I'm worth robbing, and they would be so disappointed if they stole my grannyphone that they'd throw it back in disgust. 👍🤣

I think (hope) firearms laws in the US will change sooner than you predict. I see a lot of young people saying that they have had enough. The 2nd Amendment is outdated and no longer relevant. The UK had one major school shooting and changed it's firearms laws, Germany had one major school shooting and changed it's firearms laws, New Zealand had one major school shooting and changed it's firearms laws... Australia, the Netherlands, Austria.... the list goes on and on. 🙏

It’s not just the guns/crime in the US, it’s how normalised it’s become and how people talk about it. Incidentally, drink driving is similar. Within the first 5 days of being there I was asked how I protect myself and family. I simple replied ‘from what’? Also not sure if you’re aware but the tennis player Andy Murray was in the Dunblane school when that happened.

My mothers family was from Manchester and my fathers were from Wiveliscombe , I've lived in New Jersey for 75 years with all types of Rifles and pistols without issue. Most towns in the USA never have any problems with crime or shootings....cities on the other hand....

I think you seriously underplayed the gun violence in the US, Not just the violence but also its effect on suicide rates, The only time I see a gun is when I cross to continental Europe - where the police are routinely armed. I know it's normal but it's always extremely jarring. Here at home the only time I might see a weapon in real life is at an airport. And even then it's a rare event. I have no desire to own a gun, I have no need to own a gun. Following the Dunblane Massacre. (which I remember vividly) Handguns (and replicas) were outlawed. No great loss.

I’ve been in Oregon and California.. Hollywood reminded me of downtown Manila.. our guide/driver asked if we wanted to walk the pavements to see the stars… I replied “No thanks” Oregon was ok but we never went into any big cities.. California? No thanks.. We talked about emigrating to Oregon but then Trump got elected and that was the final nail in the coffin

In Scotland the police carry deep fried Mars bar stun guns.

The US always astounds me. It is basically third world stuff, guns, no proper welfare system, no public transport etc. I believe that all public systems should be state run like the rest of Europe. In Ireland the ordinary police officer is not armed. We have a rapid response unit within the police force, who as the name suggests, come quickly to a gun related crime scene. The big difference is these guys are gun experts as distinct from a police officer who only occasionally uses a gun.

Do people on Tula kmow where Scotland?

Would you be recommending that your parents retire to Britain. Or anywhere other than the UK.??

In the UK you can walk across the road without fear of being arrested.

For someone brought up in New Zealand the idea of situational awareness and people being randomly armed is very foreign to us. Not saying that shit doesn’t happen but at least there is basic respect for law and order. Some of our boys would be a bit hard to handle as well but at the end of the day we support our cops and common sense seems to prevail.

I was a Scot who went to Houston for three years, left when my US wife got pregnant. We went to Australia, its as peaceful as Scotland with warmer weather.

Most people not in inner cities in the US go through life without worrying of being shot. Having lived in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Idaho, Montana and California, it is a safe area except for the small areas where it's not. Even take Chicago, stay away from the south side and the odds are in your favor. In the San Francisco East Bay area I know lots of kids that can and do go outside and play, most though would prefer to have their eyes glued to their devices. It all depends on the child and their awareness of their surroundings ( it only takes one impatient driver speeding through the neighborhood to ruin your day), and the parents. I still see kids walking and riding their bicycles to school and the local strip mall.

I've had a discussion with Americans over gun violence before, many many times. Some can't grasp that we measure mass shootings by the decade whereas they measure them by the year. In the last 23 years, we've had 18 mass shootings in the UK. Multiply that by 5 to bring both populations in line and you end up with 90 mass shootings. Already this year America has seen nearly 500 mass shootings.

Good video, I know the gun issue is a big deal for Americans, and it’s hard to have a decent conversation about it sometimes. Out of interest, the west of Scotland around Glasgow and Strathclyde has the highest murder rate in Western Europe. That area has around half of Scotland’s population though, but it’s still interesting.

Whilst most Police officers do not carry firearms, those who do are not just ANY Police Office they are Marks & Spencer Police Officers (those in the UK will get the joke there!). What I mean is they are highly trained specialists. As an example, on the afternoon of 22 March 2017 a man called Khalid Masood commenced a terror attack by driving his vehicle onto the pavement (i.e. what Americans call the sidewalk) of Westminster Bridge 8 seconds after 14:40 hours GMT. One minute and 22 seconds later he was dead - shot by an armed Police Officer. Sadly another Police Officer and two civilians (one British, one American) died during the attack and two other (one British, one Romanian) died later as a result but Masoods weapons were just a knife and his car so there was no prospect of a shootout. It is also illegal to carry ANY weapon, even for self-defence, in the UK. That includes knives. This will, no doubt, get people raging but @BlackBeltBarrister explains far better than me on his channel - although his expertise is English/Welsh, rather than Scots law.

Britain tried the “everybody armed” approach centuries ago with swords and realised it didn’t work

Interesting point is that British police officers gave up carrying guns as standard prior to gun bans.

you should have mentioned that after the Dunblane shootings the laws on gun control were changed to make it harder to own or purchase firearms

We went into a supermarket in Florida whilst on holiday. Guy in front of us had an assault rifle strapped across his back, the dayglo looking soft drinks were even more concerning!!

As someone who lives in Los Angeles I couldn’t agree more with what you’re saying. Scotland has an extremely violent history but at some point we became more interested in living than taking revenge, and if we did lose our temper it would be limited to a punch up and not a shoot out. Really hope the good people that live in the US will one day prioritize love of each other over love of guns. BTW I enjoy your channel you’re living in the county I came from.

You made a comment on this vid that made me laugh out loud Even normal people are carrying guns to go shopping ,taking a gun to go shopping is not normal 😂😂😂

Maybe interesting to note that most knife crime and other violent crime does tend to be between people that know each other, or it is often a product of different gangs coming into conflict With each other. It is rare that strangers are victims of violent crime in this country.

keep your babies in scotland its safe...........

Another interesting fact about Scottish people is they are unable to pronounce Purple Burglar Alarm

My friends left the southern states for Ireland, better work conditions and rheir daughter gets to be regarded as a whole or first class citizen and not a "lesser vessel" like in the south

I think there would be a civil war in the US before active and effective gun control is even considered and implemented. The 2nd Amendment mentions in the first line regarding firearm ownership as being 'Highly Regulated', which is often quoted but (from the outside looking in), doesn't appear to be actively applied at all. I may be very wrong here, but it seems ridiculously easy to obtain a firearm when all you seem to need is a pulse.

Said it before. Will say it again. WILD EFFING HORSES could not drag my ass to the USA.

America has to amend its Constitution stating that they have the right to bear arms. This was included when the country was in its infancy having just engaged in war for independence and surviving in hostile lands, the need for protection was great. However, now that right is partly the cause of the current gun trend and human nature over millennia observes that if one has a stick then I had better get one, then a knife, sword, shield and so on. Unfortunately I don’t see any change in gun control within the US, happening soon it’s becoming an accepted way of life and to change a pattern of one’s life can be extremely difficult. But then again I have no intention of visiting the US!

Peter,Peter,Peter I’ve been watching your program because I love everything about Scotland and would love to immigrate there but it won’t happen due to age. I just have to say I’ve lived in Michigan my entire life and have never seen anyone outside of their home carrying a gun. I think that’s more of a western USA thing although Oklahoma is in the middle of the country it has more of the cowboy thing going on like Texas even if they aren’t ranchers.

Actually, some police do. Airports, for example, have automatic weapons and there are police cars moving around at all times with guns in the boot. They are the armed response units and like the Airport police, they can and will take you out if required. They are never far away. 😉 If for example, you walk about in a built up area with even and air gun, or air rifle, you’ll end up with a red dot on you. I wouldn’t recommend trying that though.

I cannot imagine! You are telling me your kids do not have "active shooter" drills in grade three? Mind blowing!

Let's hope the usa sorts out its gun problems eventually. It's sad so many innocent lives are taken so unnecessarily .

I think there has to be a major shift in your political structure for any major changes in so many of the us failings, health, employment etc

Interesting to hear food mentioned as a topic, and Scottish diet isn't the issue. I think the UK has the highest obesity rates in western europe, and Scotland is the worst part of the UK. I hope you're right on the long term trajectory for gun ownership in the US. However, it does seem ingrained/sold in the culture as the ultimate in personal responsibility, or as the ultimate expression of personal freedom. However, like much of the world, Europe included the politicians are flirting with fascism. It's horrifying how slowly trials are progressing for the former president, and that he's still the front runner for the GOP candidate, with a still sizeable level of support. Just the documents alone would have anyone else thrown immediately in prison, for a single page. But, he's still out and campaigning against a justice system he cries as biased against him.

Don't take your guns out in the bar - witnessed in Nashville

Hi Peter. I don't think the gun situation will ever change unless he constitution changes and that seems to be next as far as certain rights. With that said, I live in Chicago going on 2 years now this coming April. Left NY after many many years due to cost of living and chose chicago due to one of the main states my job allowed me to move without any hassle. Chicago is i believe the worst city (maybe Baltimore might be the worst not too certain) when it comes to daily shooting. over the weekend there could be as many as 80 shooting..yes that high. I am not in the area where most of the shootings occur. I am on the north side of Chicago. I knew before moving here about the crimes etc. but chose wisely as far as location. I even planned on moving further into the suburbs once I got here. but that is still up in the air if my move to Scotland doesn't fall thru in the next 2 years. Your first video when you and your family decided to move to Scotland put me on board with the idea that maybe I can do this one day down the line depending on my job status (they are UK-based) Safety was my MAIN reason for choosing Scotland. You had only posted one video but I was researching a bit before and then all during the years after up thru now. And It blew my mind about the crime and how low it was over there as far as shootings. The way of living over there is so different and easier as far as peace of mind and MUCH much inexpensive. I am older than you and will be older lol when i plan to ask for a transfer (taking care of a tax issue here along with some other things like savings up to par before I can even ask lol) but if I get the "okay" I am so there. I would say anywhere is better right now than the US but that's not true.. however, I wouldn't choose a non-English speaking country. The country language must be English speaking first. and out of the UK Scotland seems to be the best out of the three as far as lower cost of living. Not to mention so much better views and history lol lol but yeah....crime and outrage have increased since the pandemic here in the US. OH also, I just spoke to a Chicago police officer about a week ago and he filled me in on some new laws our mayor passed a year ago and it blew my mind along with others who were listening nearby. This is also in NY . I dont have the article number but it states a police officer cannot ..cannot chase any perpetrator who let's say hit me on the head and grabbed my phone in front of them even, they can't chase that person if the streets have a certain amount of people in the area, due to THE perpetrator falling and hurting himself..not anyone else..HIMSELF . because they can SUE law enforcement. 😐 Unless they see a weapon on the person they can do that ..if no weapon then I ..me.. would need to file a report for petty theft and battery. when i heard this ..I said oh noo I need to leave this country asap. There is an agenda behind all of this I believe...something bigger is coming when? idk but I am hoping I can leave by end of 2024 mid 2025. sooner.. God willing. thank you. hope all is well and God bless.