There aren't 'lots of stabbings', nor are there 'lots of shootings' in the UK. There are *some* stabbings and *some* shootings, as there are in most countries (if not every country).

Crime and crime rates are a sensitive issue that the media know they can latch on to in order to sell copy. They feed the public fear that gun- and knife-crime are rampant, and that around every corner there's a gun- or knife-toting druggie waiting to murder the first person who comes in to range.

It's simply not true. In sixty years I've never even seen an illegally-held gun (I've only seen a very small number of legally-held guns, for that matter), nor have I ever been attacked, or threatened, or witnessed anyone being attacked or threatened, with a gun or knife.

The UK is no more lawless than many other countries, there's just a lot of TV and newspaper hype going on to scare people into thinking it is.