Foreign Gun Control: The Pros and Cons

Introduction 

Gun control is one of the most polarizing issues in the modern society. With the increasing frequency of mass shootings and gun crime, many are now advocating for strict gun control policies. The public is more inclined towards gun control to prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands. The US gun control has been criticized heavily in the wake of the recent school shootings. US citizens, leaders and the international community seem to believe that strict gun control policies would solve US mass shooting problem. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to explore foreign gun control its effects. A number of nations have put in place strict gun measures to reduce gun crime; the measures have been successful in certain situations while ineffective in others.  The paper evaluates gun control policies in Mexico, Russia, Austria, U.K. and New Zealand. Countries like Russia and Mexico have not succeeded in reducing gun crime. Gun control in foreign countries has proven to be majorly unsuccessful and is not the answer needed to “stop the violence.” 

Issue 

Gun violence has become ordinary and common. It is now one of the leading causes of mortality across the globe; hence, the assumption that the world would be a safer place without guns in circulation. Global gun violence statistics show that many lives have been lost due to gun violence. The U.S. is not the leading nation on gun violence, but it is the highest in comparison to other developed countries in Europe and Asia.  According to Aizenmann (2017), the US was ranked at number 31 for the highest gun rate in 2016 at 3.85  % deaths per 100,000 people  . The US rate was 27 times more than the gun violence death rate in Denmark, which had 0.14% deaths  per 100,000  people. 

The country with the highest gun violence death rate is El Salvador with 40.29% deaths  per 100,000 people, followed by Venezuela, Guatemala, Columbia, and Honduras. Many countries in Latin America represent a significant percentage of states with high gun violence. Erickson (2018) states that Latin America only has 8% of the world’s population, and yet 33% of the global homicides take place in Latin America, with Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela taking the lead. The gun violence problem in Latin America is often associated with the drug trade, but that is not always the case. According to Erickson (2018), Latin America is experiencing high rates of urbanization bringing together the risk factors of inequality, unemployment, broken families, weak governments and easily accessible guns. All the risk factors play a role in the gun violence problem. 

Many countries have put in place strict gun control measures to mitigate gun violence deaths. For example, after a massive shooting in Port Arthur, Australia, the Australian government responded by banning certain types of firearms, particularly the automatic and semiautomatic rifles and shotguns. The government initiated a mandatory buyback program and bought more than 650,000 guns. The government also announced that those who wanted to own the permitted guns should get new permits, consequently, the number of gun-related deaths drastically reduced in Australia. 

Analysis of Gun Control Policies 

Mexico 

With the high rate of violence and gang activity, Mexico ’s government came up with strict gun control policies (Mehalko, 2012). Mexico’s constitution gives the citizens the right to own handguns for hunting and self-defense, but the legal process of acquiring a gun is tough. Mexico sells guns through the Directorate of Arms and Munition Sales. The store sold 549 guns in 2000 in comparison to 10.115 guns in 2015. The increase in gun sales reflects the rising concern for personal safety with the increasing cases of violent deaths in Mexico. 

Members of hunting and shooting clubs can own up to nine rifles of no more than .30 caliber and shotguns up to 12 gauge. The process of applying for a gun permit takes time; applicants are asked to submit six separate documents including birth certificate, clean criminal record, social security number and government ID. It is almost impossible to secure a concealed carry permit, yet it is allowed in nearly all states in the US. After the applying, one has to wait for three to six months for the approval. 

In 2006, President Felipe-Calderon declared war on drug cartels; this led to the surge in violent killings.  Over 164,000 people were killed in Mexico between 2007 and 2014. Gun advocates use the rising cases of violent crimes to agitate for the rights to acquire weapons easily and to carry them. Gun advocates talk about the increasing cases of violent robberies, violent murders and gang activities that risk their safety on a daily basis. Heavily armed gangs used the weapons they acquire illegally to terrorize and extort people. 

Mexico ’s homicide rate is five times higher than that of the US  , and this shows that strict gun control policies do not always work. Mexico’s gun policies cannot work when illegal gun sale exists, Mexicans can easily acquire guns from cartels and illegal sellers. There is no current gun ownership statistics in Mexico because there are no records of illegal sales, but it was approximated that Mexicans owned 15.5 million guns in 2007, most of them were acquired from the black market. The number of violent crimes in Mexico is quite high. According to Alpers et al. (2018), there were 12,211 homicides in Mexico in 2015 in comparison to 17,525 in the U.S. Gun-related deaths in Mexico were 13,505 in 2014, meaning that most homicides cases involve guns in Mexico. 

Russia 

Like Mexico  ’s, Russia ’s gun control policies are also strict. Russia allows gun ownership for self-defense, hunting, and sporting activities. Gun licenses are provided on a five-year period by the local police department after a thorough background check, including the evaluation of one’s medical records. The applicants must present various documents to the police before they can be given the authority to own guns. Individuals with mental health problems and substance abuse history are not allowed to own guns. Additionally, Russians are prohibited from possessing firearms that shoot in bursts or those with more than ten-cartridge capacity. 

Zhukov (2016) refers to a report by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs which shows that Russians had 6.3 million nonmilitary weapons by the end of 2012. Russians owned 700,000 firearms with rifles with a rough bore and 4.2 million firearms with a smooth bore. The same report indicated that at least 12 million guns were held illegally. 7,500 crimes were committed using arms in 2012, making it less than 0.5% of violent crimes in Russia. 

Despite the strict gun policies, violent crimes in Russia are still high. Russia ranks higher in the  global homicide list in comparison to the US. Russia has 102.35 murder rate per a million in contrast to the US which has 42.01 murder rate per a million. In 2015, Russia recorded 16, 232 homicides in comparison to 19,103 homicides in the US in 2016 ( Alpers et al., 2018).  Russia has higher rates  of violent crimes, even when gun ownership is restricted. The US exceeds Russia on the intentional gun homicide rate. Russia’s homicide is not dependent on gun ownership, rather the culture of violence is part of Russia. 

Austria 

Austria adopted a different approach to gun ownership in comparison to Russia and Mexico. Austria has one of the most relaxed gun ownership policies. Austrians over the age of 18 can freely buy and own certain types of shotguns and semi-automatic rifles for hunting and sport. Austrians only have to register with a licensed dealer six weeks before purchase. The applicants undergo a background and mental health check to ensure they are of sound mind. Non-repeating shotguns do not need a license as ownership of such weapons are used for self-defense. Austria does not allow the sale of automatic weapons as per the EU minimum standards. Austrians can carry guns in public after securing a permit. According to World Health Organization (2016), the estimated number of firearms owned among Austrian civilian population was at 2.5 million in 2012. The rate of gun ownership in Austria is at 30.4 %, with 15.1% of households owning guns in 2015 in comparison to 42% of American households owning guns in 2016  . 

Austria has one of the lowest rates of gun crimes and violent crimes. In 2012, Austria ’s rate of violent crimes was at 0.9  % per 100,000 people as only 77 Austrians were victims of violent crimes in 2012. The rate of homicide reduced to 0.5  % per 100,000 people  in 2015. Gun-related homicides are quite few in Austri  a, with a rate of 0.12% people  in 2014. Only ten people were killed by firearms in 2014 in Austria in comparison to 10,945 gun-related deaths in the US in 2014 ( Alpers et al., 2018). The relaxed gun policies in Austria have not increased the rate of violent and gun crimes. 

Australia 

Australia ’s gun policy is often brought up in American gun policy debate. After the 1996 mass shooting in Port Arthur by a legal gun owner, Australia put in place strict laws to guide gun ownership (Chapman & Alpers, 2013). Australia allows citizens to own guns for hunting or sports purposes, but self-defense is not accepted as a valid reason for gun ownership. Those who want to own guns in Australia must attend a gun safety course before being issued a license. The waiting period is 28 days. 

After the 1996 mass shooting incident, Australian government engaged in a massive crackdown on guns. All Australian states came together and enacted laws to ban semi-automatic rifles and shotguns that can kill many people. The government also put in place a buy-back program to reduce the number of guns in the civilian population. According to Chapman andAlpers (2013), the Australian government has bought over one million semi-automatic weapons since 1996. In 1996, there were approximately 17.5% guns in Australia in comparison to 13.7%.  Gun ownership numbers in Australia are quite low in comparison to America’s rate of approximately 101% guns in America. 

The number of violent crimes in Australia has decreased in Australia due to strict gun policy. The national homicide rate was at 1.0% per 100,000  in 2013-2014. Australia ’s violent crime rate is much lower in comparison to the US violent crime rate. In 2012, the US had a homicide rate of 4.7% per 100,000  translating to 14,827 deaths in 2012 in comparison to approximately 500 deaths in Australia. Most violent crimes in Australia are not gun-related as most cases involve knives and other weapons (Chapman & Alpers, 2013). 

United Kingdom 

The United Kingdom has one of the most stringent gun policy in the world. The UK law does not guarantee the right to gun ownership by private citizens (Grinshteyn & Hemenway, 2016). To acquire a gun in the UK, one has to apply for the firearm stating why they need a gun. Those who do not have proper reasons are denied at the first stage of the application process. Some of the reasons include hunting, and target shooting. Most gun owners are in rural areas, and they apply for guns to protect their livestock from wild animals.  A mental and criminal background checks are required, as well as third-party reference. Gun ownership license is renewed after every five years. 

The UK does not allow civilians to own semi-automatic weapons, automatic weapons and armor piercing ammunition. Despite the strict gun policy, estimated 2.3 million guns both legal and illegal were in the hands of civilians in 2010. The rate of private gun ownership was at 3.78% in 2010, and only 6% of household owned guns in 2005. 

The violent crime rate is also low in the UK  , with 1.03  % annual rate of homicide per 100,000 people in 2012 in comparison to 7.6% per 100,000  in the US (Grinshteyn & Hemenway, 2016). The total number of murders was 653 in 2012, with 131 of them being gun-related deaths. In 2012, 60% of homicides in the US were gun related. 

New Zealand 

The gun policy in New Zealand is categorized as restrictive ( Alpers et al., 2018)  . New Zealand law does not guarantee its citizen the rights to own firearms, but it acknowledges that citizens acquire firearms for safety, security, and hunting. New Zealand law does not require an applicant for a gun to establish a genuine reason as in the UK for hunting and sporting guns. However, a special license is needed for pistols, restricted firearms and semi-automatic weapons. The minimum age for gun ownership is 16 years, and 18 for military-style semi-automatic weapons. A background check on criminal records, mental health, addiction and domestic violence records are carried out before issuing the license (  Sorensen, 2015). Firearm safety training is required before issuing a license, and the license is subject to renewal after every ten years. 

According to Alpers et al. (2018), statistics, there are over 1.3 million guns in the hands of the civilians, both legal and illegal guns. The rate of ownership was at 29.50% in 2016 in New Zealand in comparison to 101.50% in the US. New Zealand does not license rifles, but it is approximated that the civilians own over 460,000 rifles in comparison to 87 to 110 million rifles in the hands of civilians in America. 

The rate of violent crimes is also low in New Zealand with only 83 cases of homicides in 2013. New Zealand had a 1.90% rate o  f homicide in comparison to 5.09% in the US in 2013. Gun-related homicide in New Zealand is also low, with 0.18% gun-related homicide t  ranslating to 8 gun-related deaths whereas the gun-related homicides in the US were 11, 208 ( Alpers et al., 2018).  

Summary 

The analysis of gun laws, gun ownership, and prevalence of violent crimes in different nations is necessary for comparative purposes. With the increasing cases of mass shootings in the US, many advocates for restrictive gun policies in the US hoping to reduce cases of gun violence like Australia and UK (Barry et al., 2015). Gun policy in the US is described as permissive as the gun ownership right is defended by the Second Amendment of the Constitution. The permissive nature of gun policy has allowed mass ownership of guns such that there are 101% i  n the US. 

The concept of positive correlation can be used to explain high cases of gun violence in the US. It is undeniable that the number of guns and gun-related violence is rampant in the US. The US has many instances of school and mass shootings, and the trend has been rising at an alarming rate. At this point, gun control might not even solve the gun violence problem in the US as there are many guns among civilians. Chapman and Alpers (2013) recommend Australia for taking swift action after the 1996 mass shooting incident. The way the government reacted led to restricted gun ownership and the government bought back over 1 million guns from the civilians. 

The situation in the US is now beyond gun control policy. With over 30,000 deaths in the US being blamed on gun violence annually, a more comprehensive anti-gun violence policy should be adopted. Gun violence in the US is often blamed on the availability of guns, mental health problems, crime, domestic violence and the permissive gun laws. Americans are obsessed with their guns such that gun ownership is viewed as a right. Many Americans own guns in their homes, and they carry them without considering that they might find themselves in situations that they will end up using guns. American society is struggling with many socio-economic and political issues that increase violence (Filindra & Kaplan, 2016). Racism is still rampant in the US as seen in the rise of Black Lives Matter movement. American society is made up of many ethnicities, political groups, social classes, religions among others lines of stratification that increase conflict. The easy access to gun catalyzes the existing conflicts. 

The attitude towards guns in America should be changed, but other issues such as mental health, domestic violence should also be addressed. Gun ownership does not necessarily lead to violence when all the underlying issues have been addressed as seen in the case of Austria. Austria has a permissive gun policy, but it had 0.9% rates of homicide in 2012. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, the gun policy will continue to be a controversial policy in the US and across the globe. Both sides of the argument on gun policy have valid reasons, and this explains why most constitutions support gun ownership. The gun violence problem in the US is now a crisis that should be addressed comprehensively. Gun control might not solve the problem as there are over 650 million guns among the US citizens. Additionally, violent crime can still occur without arms as seen in Russia. The US is at a crossroad on the issue of guns, but the government should realize that it will take more than gun-control to solve the gun violence problem in the US. 

References 

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