I should correct what I said in my earlier post about Ulster - the figures came from 1994 (during the Troubles), so I suspect there has been a massive lowering in the murder rate there. That said, the rate of firearm ownership is by far the highest of anywhere in the UK and it's the only part of the UK where owning a pistol for personal protection is legal (most ex-RUC/PSNI/Army people carry weapons, for instance).