经济学人521:枪支管制

　　Gun control
枪支管制
Armed robbery
持枪抢劫
Quietly, and rather politely, Britain is getting a gun lobby
不知不觉中，英国成为倡议枪支管制的一大阵营
ORYX and buffalo¹ heads stare glumly² from the walls of James Purdey & Sons, a swanky London gunmaker. In cases beneath them stand some of the priciest weapons in Britain. The firm's elaborately engraved³ shotguns take up to two years to produce and cost at least 80,000. Many customers buy a pair.
大羚羊及野牛满是忧郁地凝视着普德莱家族的围墙，这是伦敦一个有着显著地位的枪支生产者。坐拥英国一些最昂贵的武器。该公司精巧设计的猎枪两年时间里产出并消耗了最少十三万五千英镑。大客户都是一次性购买一副。
Shooting is an expensive hobby, even without so extravagant⁴ a weapon. But licensing⁵ a gun is cheap. Owners pay only 50 to register for five years, a fee that has not risen since 2001. Police chiefs say the cash they collect covers barely a quarter of what it costs them to run the licensing scheme, and that they are spending more than 17m a year to cover the shortfall.
即使枪支不怎么昂贵，射击仍是一项奢侈的爱好。但是获得持枪证书就相对便宜多了。持有者只需支付50英镑就可获得5年有效期的持枪证，这个费用自2001年以来再也没涨过。警察局长们说，他们收取的这些费用只够办理枪支许可证程序花费的四分之一，因此不得不支付一千七百万来弥补短缺的。
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That is not a big number, but it rankles⁶ at a time of austerity, the police have suffered from more than other public services. The problem is not just that inflation has eroded⁷ the value of the fee, says Andy Marsh⁸ of Hampshire Constabulary. Better monitoring of gun owners has made the system more expensive, and the workload⁹ is growing as gun ownership creeps up. Since fees were set in 2001 the number of guns held by civilians¹⁰ in England and Wales has risen by 14% to 1.8m, the highest number since detailed¹¹ record-taking started two decades ago.
虽然数目不大，但是在紧缩时期更是雪上添霜，因为警察们比其它公共服务行业工作人员付出的还要多。问题的关键在于，并不是通货膨胀侵蚀了许可费的价值，汉普郡警察安迪沼泽如是说。更好的枪支持有者的监视使得这个系统费用更加的昂贵，费用工作量也随着持枪者的不断增加而变大。自从2001年制定许可费以来，在英格兰和威尔士公民持枪的数量以百分之十四增长至一百八十万，为自开始记录持枪人数二十年以来的最高值。
These healthy figures surprise those who thought strict gun laws brought in after a mass shooting in Scotland in 1996 would fatally wound Britain's shooting culture. That horror, and the ban on handguns that followed, encouraged gun ownership to decline for five consecutive¹² years. But a gradual increase in the popularity of rifles, both for shooting targets and for killing¹³ deer and other animals, has since reversed the trend. Novices¹⁴ find it fairly easy to get a licence: despite rigorous checks police refuse less than 2% of the applications they receive.、
这些持续增长的数据使得人们感到无比的惊讶，他们认为在1996年苏格兰群体枪击事件之后引入严格的枪支法律将对英国的枪支文化以致命打击。那次惨案和之后的手枪禁令连续5年鼓励减少枪支持有者数量。但是步枪流行的持续增加，射击的靶和猎杀鹿及其他动物自那之后出现逆向增长。新手们发现获得持枪许可证非常容易：尽管经过严格的审查，警察们回绝了他们收到的至少百分之二的应用申请。
As their ranks have swelled¹⁵, political support for shooters has rebounded¹⁶. Among the many populist pledges put forward by Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK Independence Party, is a promise to loosen gun laws if elected. Conservative bigwigs probably think that a small public subsidy¹⁷ for gun owners is a meagre price to placate¹⁸ voters in their rural heartlands—especially given that the Tories have not yet held a promised vote on repealing¹⁹ the ban on fox hunting for fear that MPs would vote to uphold it. In September a cabinet subcommittee blocked a plan, backed by the Home Office, to push up the gun licence fee.
随着持枪人数量的不断膨胀，对持枪者的政治支持也获得了反弹。奈杰尔·法拉吉推进的多数平民誓言中，英国独立党领袖许诺如果当选的话，将放宽枪支管制。保守派的大亨们很可能会认为对持枪者的一小点政府补助是对在他们农村中心地带的选民们一种低代价的慰藉，尤其是考虑到托利党出于担心议员们投票的支持而还没有接受废除猎狐禁令的选票。九月一次由内政部做东的内阁小组会议上阻止了关于提高枪支许可费用的计划。
Britain's discreet²⁰ but well-connected shooting lobby accepts that sooner or later a fee increase is inevitable²¹. It demands that police cut bureaucracy from the licensing process before asking gun owners to stump²² up more. This stubbornness seems to have prodded²³ officers into patching the system up, but it would be wise to wave through a deal. Shooting down a small rise this year would probably mean having to stomach a loftier one in future, especially if the Tories lose the next general election. That would be a worthless trophy²⁴.
英国的谨慎而又有着良好关系网的射击说客已然认识到许可费提高是不可避免的。这就需要警察们在要求枪支持有者多掏费用之前，放下他们在许可证办理过程中的官僚主义。这一棘手之事似乎鞭策着官员们来修补整个行政系统，但是通过交易来平息这一波折显得更加明智。今年压制了小规模的枪支持有者增长，意味着因小失多，将来可能不得不接受更多损失，尤其是当托利党下次竞选中失利。这将是件毫无价值的战利品。

1 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

2 glumly   

adv.忧郁地，闷闷不乐地；阴郁地

参考例句：

• He stared at it glumly, and soon became lost in thought. 他惘然沉入了瞑想。 来自子夜部分
• The President sat glumly rubbing his upper molar, saying nothing. 总统愁眉苦脸地坐在那里，磨着他的上牙，一句话也没有说。 来自辞典例句

3 engraved   

v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中）

参考例句：

• The silver cup was engraved with his name. 银杯上刻有他的名字。
• It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back. 此件雕刻精美，背面有花饰图案。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。

5 licensing   

v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• A large part of state regulation consists of occupational licensing. 大部分州的管理涉及行业的特许批准。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• That licensing procedures for projects would move faster. 这样的工程批准程序一定会加快。 来自辞典例句

6 rankles   

v.（使）痛苦不已，（使）怨恨不已( rankle的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The noise that trunks and ambulances made in the street rankles me every day. 每天大街上卡车和救护车的噪音令我恼怒不已。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Perhaps that is why the tardiness of my in-laws rankles me so. 大概就是因为这个缘故，每次我的亲戚迟到，总惹得我火冒三丈。 来自辞典例句

7 eroded   

adj. 被侵蚀的，有蚀痕的 动词erode的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The cliff face has been steadily eroded by the sea. 峭壁表面逐渐被海水侵蚀。
• The stream eroded a channel in the solid rock. 小溪在硬石中侵蚀成一条水道。

8 marsh   

n.沼泽，湿地

参考例句：

• There are a lot of frogs in the marsh.沼泽里有许多青蛙。
• I made my way slowly out of the marsh.我缓慢地走出这片沼泽地。

9 workload   

n.作业量，工作量

参考例句：

• An assistant one day a week would ease my workload.每周有一天配一个助手就会减轻我的工作负担。
• He's always grousing about the workload.他总是抱怨工作量大。

10 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

11 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

12 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

13 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

14 novices   

n.新手( novice的名词复数 )；初学修士（或修女）；（修会等的）初学生；尚未赢过大赛的赛马

参考例句：

• The Russians are such novices in Africa. 在非洲的俄国人简直都是些毫无经验的生手。 来自辞典例句
• Where the primary track all novices, screams everywhere, ha ha good terror. 那里的初级道上全是生手，到处都是尖叫声，哈哈好恐怖的。 来自互联网

15 swelled   

增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情）

参考例句：

• The infection swelled his hand. 由于感染，他的手肿了起来。
• After the heavy rain the river swelled. 大雨过后，河水猛涨。

16 rebounded   

弹回( rebound的过去式和过去分词 )； 反弹； 产生反作用； 未能奏效

参考例句：

• The ball rebounded from the goalpost and Owen headed it in. 球从门柱弹回，欧文头球将球攻进。
• The ball rebounded from his racket into the net. 球从他的球拍上弹回网中。

17 subsidy   

n.补助金，津贴

参考例句：

• The university will receive a subsidy for research in artificial intelligence.那个大学将得到一笔人工智能研究的补助费。
• The living subsidy for senior expert's family is included in the remuneration.报酬已包含高级专家家人的生活补贴。

18 placate   

v.抚慰，平息(愤怒)

参考例句：

• He never attempts to placate his enemy.他从不企图与敌人和解。
• Even a written apology failed to placate the indignant hostess.甚至一纸书面道歉都没能安抚这个怒气冲冲的女主人。

19 repealing   

撤销，废除( repeal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• In addition, repealing the alternative minimum tax would also help. 此外，废除替代性最低税也会有所帮助。
• Repealing the investment tax credit. 取消投资税款扣除。

20 discreet   

adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的

参考例句：

• He is very discreet in giving his opinions.发表意见他十分慎重。
• It wasn't discreet of you to ring me up at the office.你打电话到我办公室真是太鲁莽了。

21 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

22 stump   

n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走

参考例句：

• He went on the stump in his home state.他到故乡所在的州去发表演说。
• He used the stump as a table.他把树桩用作桌子。

23 prodded   

v.刺，戳( prod的过去式和过去分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳

参考例句：

• She prodded him in the ribs to wake him up. 她用手指杵他的肋部把他叫醒。
• He prodded at the plate of fish with his fork. 他拿叉子戳弄着那盘鱼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 trophy   

n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品

参考例句：

• The cup is a cherished trophy of the company.那只奖杯是该公司很珍惜的奖品。
• He hung the lion's head as a trophy.他把那狮子头挂起来作为狩猎纪念品。