Guns per Capita Stats - & Debt, - & 'Goodness':

I see todays news is the release of the table ranking worthiness  - THE GOOD COUNTRY INDEX (Google it). - How much does each country contribute to the common good of humanity.

We lucky folks in New Zealand are ranked 5th overall - USA is a lowly 21st, while Ireland, (the home of my fathers) was 1st. - the very lowest position is held by Libya, then Viet-Nam, and 3rd from last, Iraq. - Hmm, now what do those last three countries have in common?

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-This story prompted me to jump to the table for 'Countries by External Debt' - in US Dollars, that's interesting too: (2012 figures.)

  DEBT:
1/- United States of America: 17,344,649,899,999. - per capita: $ 52,170
2/- United Kingdom:               10,090,000,000,000. - per capita: $ 160,158    !!!
46/- New Zealand:                         90,230,000,000. - per capita: $ 52,300 (that's not good)

 That's one hell of a lot of money for each person to owe - but who are the super-wealthy that all that money is owed-to ? - And what a great job these politicians, 'leaders', and Governments are doing for us. - Oh sorry, it's not us that they are working for - unless you are a banker, financier, or a corporate executive.

- Least indebted with zero  debt recorded are Singapore, Macau, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Liechtenstein, Palau.

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How about GUNS PER CAPITA by COUNTRY? (2014)

1/- United States of America: 97 guns per 100.
2/- Serbia: 58.2 guns per 100
3/- Yemen: 54.8 guns per per 100
22/- New Zealand: 22.6 guns per 100
70/- Ireland: 8.6 guns per 100.

About 230,000 Gun Licence Holders own some 1.1 million guns in New Zealand with a population estimated at 4.5 million (2014). - I make that approximately 1 in 20 kiwis (5%) have a Firearms Licence - having proved to the Police that they are 'Fit and Proper Persons'.
- Further, bear in mind that approx. one quarter of the NZ population are children - so that would raise the figures to around 1 in 14 for adults (7%).

Compare the licenced 'fit & proper' figure of 230 thousand with the NZ overall crime figures posted for each of the last three years of between 365 to 416 thousand offences dealt with each year. - That might suggest that there may be around twice as many criminal offenders in NZ as certified law-abiding shooters. - So what's the problem?

A Sporterised ex-army Lee-Enfield .303" Rifle - These were everywhere at one time.

 This type of firearm is not registered in NZ so the figures are ..?

 

- Well all you can say is "God Bless America" - but what about those poor indebted pommies in the UK?  - US$160,158 each - So that's you, the wife, and three kids makes five, - that's $800,790 that your wee semi-detached British household owes! - When were you thinking about retiring?

 

 

 

Marty K