Gun laws around the world differ according to the laws of different countries. The question of how to control gun possession has been a major argument for a long time. Gun violence over the years has led to the death of innocent people around the world. For example, the mass shooting that killed nine people at Charleston church in South Carolina in the year 2015 shows that there is a need to control the accessibility of guns. Gun-control advocates emphasize on creation of strict laws that ensure fewer occurrences of gun violence. Democracies like Australia and Japan have few numbers of gun violence compared to the United States.
The history of gun possession in America dates back to the colonial period. It was a culture that the white man would carry a gun around to ensure control of the indigenous people who worked on the farms. During this time a white man's honor was based on his right to own and carry a gun. However, in the 1792 militia act, the militias were allowed to own guns due to public safety. During the framing of the constitution, the guns available were long rifles. Over time technological advances led to the development of smaller and powerful guns. The innovations in the development of the gun continued the second amendment created the collective rights that gave the militias the right to own (Gabor, 2016, p.1) . The individual rights however allowed citizens to keep weapons but ensure registration. Today people above the age of 18 in the United States can buy a rifle like the AR-15 that has the ability to thirty up to one hundred rounds. The evolution of the firearm differs from China to Europe and Japan. However, even though the gun has continued to evolve and become more powerful and accessible the problem is not its availability but how people chose to utilize it.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
A survey conducted in 2012 shows that Brazil with a population of over 199 million peoples it has recorded fourteen-million-gun owners and thirty-four-thousand-gun deaths. The laws in Brazil states that firemen must be registered by the state, owners should be above 25 years and no one should carry them again outside their residence. In Australia three million people in a population of twenty-two million own guns. The law here states that that for one to legally possess a gun there should be a genuine reason. The gun licenses should be renewed as soon as they express. The gun laws of South Africa and the United States of America allow civilians to own guns. In America, this regulation is conducted by the federal government and the state (Gabor, 2016, p.1) . In South, Africa police are allowed to inspect the gun applicants' houses but this is not always efficient as there is less time to perform this kind of search for police among other responsibilities.
The laws of Japan are strict in regard to gun ownership. Research shows that since the seventeenth century Japan has greatly opposed civilian ownership of guns. For example, in 2014 there were only six-gun deaths compared to 33,599 deaths in the United States. (Gabor, 2016, p.2) There are many qualifications to have a gun in Japan. One should attend some classes, pass a written examination and excel on a shooting range test with not less than 85%. The laws have a permanent ban on handguns and only air riffles and short guns are allowed. A test on one's mental health and test on drug usage is also compulsory. This means that for one to possess a gun in Japan there is the need to be patient and determined. There are very few gun shops. Japan is said to be the very first country to create and impose gun laws. Japanese police also rarely use guns; most of them use martial arts to deal with criminals. The strict laws of gun ownership in Japan have resulted in rare to no cases of gun violence. Criminals in Japan must devise other methods to smuggle guns and still invent ways to hide them from the law.
Countries that impose strict rules on gun laws have a less level of gun violence. The leading being Japan, The United Kingdom has also imposed laws that regulate the rate of gun violence. There is the emphasis that creating strict gun laws would reduce the level of gun violence. Critiques argue that enforcing strict gun laws is not enough to reduce gun violence ("Stronger gun laws, fewer deaths," 2013, p. 3). This debate is supported by the idea that strict gun laws would not keep criminals from owning them; the people who would suffer are the citizens who own guns to protect themselves. An incidence to prove this argument is the shooting that occurred at Columbine in 11999. During this time there was a ban on assault weapons from 1994 and 20004. This ban did not stop the shooters from performing a massacre that led to the death of twelve students and a teacher. Therefore, the opposers of strict laws as the solution to gun violence emphasize that these laws would not be effective.
Another argument is based on the idea that guns save more lives than than the deaths. Civilians who use their guns to save their lives and those surrounding them prove that there is a need for citizens to own guns. Therefore, according to these ideas, the issue of how to control gun violence ought to be explored in other dimensions (Velez, 2013, p.2). For example, mental health is vital in ensuring that those who get access to guns are mentally fit. In some cases, mental health problems have led to the misuse of guns and thus led to gun violence. In the case of Adam Lanza, his mental state was the primary cause of his attack at Sandy Hook. Even though he was denied ownership of a gun, he managed to steal his mothers’ gun. However, despite the use of guns by people who have mental health problems there is a need to address gun violence in schools and churches. These are places with vulnerable people and thus unfair to have shootings in these areas.
Gun laws is a highly sensitive topic especially based on the fact that guns can be stolen from those who can genuinely have them. The ability for a gun owner to safely keep at all times is a major tragedy if a government is able to restrict illegal ownership of guns. A universal background check has been considered primarily in the ownership of guns by the law but in some cases, this assessment is not followed. This shows that there are loopholes in the government such that members of the government who are supposed to uphold the law are reckless in performing their jobs. These loopholes in the system are difficult to patch since corruption and greed govern most leaders in society. Asking teachers to own guns could be a risk in the school setting or even having individuals go to church carrying guns (Velez, 2013, p.2). The safety of people in a place where individuals carry their guns around is not commendable.
A change of laws proves to make a significant change in gun violence. For example, in Australia, the moment for change happened in 1996 during the mass shooting that occurred in Post Arthur Tasmania. Thirty-five people were killed by Martyn Bryant. Strict laws were emphasized followed by a policy for gun buyback which successfully led to buying back and melting of over 650 000 firearms ("Stronger gun laws, fewer deaths," 2013, p. 3). Studies show that the gun buyback strategy led to the cut of suicide rates by 75%. Since 1996, there has been no other mass shooting case in Australia as of 2016 yet before this massacre there had been thirty gun cases. This proves that the enaction of strict rules are actually applicable in the reduction of gun violence and deaths.
The accessibility and availability of guns contribute greatly to suicide rise. Studies conducted by the Harvard School across the fifty United States show that the link between guns and suicide is fatal. This means that even though guns are thought to provide protection they have more negative effects. It would be safer if people safely stored their guns away from family members or work colleagues. The truth is that when gun ownership was not common, the rate of suicides was not as high as it is now ( Guns and suicide: A fatal link, 2014) . Moreover, most suicidal actions take place abruptly and are acted upon on impulse. The availability of guns in households makes it easier for them to occur. Gun laws can greatly contribute to the reduction in the number of guns available in households. Not only are suicide cases prone to the accessibility of guns but also homicides.
Saint Leo Core Value of Integrity is essential as it advocates for all members of the university to focus on achieving the school's mission. Integrity in this school entails absolute honesty, justice, and consistency in deeds and also in words (Saint Leo University Student Code of Conduct). This core value can be integrated into the gun laws application. If governments created laws that aim to protect and result in overall success in eradication any form of gun violence, there would be so much peace in countries like America. Consistency is vital in governance since strict laws that are consistently evaluated would ensure there is control in the ownership of guns. The government officials should also be honest in their legalizing of people who register for gun ownership. Even if it is difficult to identify criminals from patriotic citizens government officials in charge of this sector should ensure they perform their roles following how they are instructed by the law. If the law state that people should go through mental health check-ups this should be followed by every applicant who seeks to own a gun. The mission of every government should be to ensure that the law protects each citizen from violence.
The fact that there are countries like Japan and Australia that have managed to use the law to control gun violence means that enaction of gun laws can protect the citizens of a country. In my opinion, I believe that every country should create gun laws that are efficient in the protection of innocent lives lost during gun violence. Moreover, these laws should be evaluated as often as possible and changed if the need arises to ensure that countries fully protect their citizens. The truth is that eradication of gun ownership from civilians and criminals is the most impossible thing to happen and this leaves the government with the responsibility to develop gun laws to protect not only those who can legally possess a gun but also their children in schools and relatives.I also believe that it is the responsibility of every citizen to ensure safety from the use of guns. For example, in countries where gun ownership is allowed, those who are privileged to handle these weapons should do it with optimum care. They should ensure that there are locked in safe places and away from any vulnerable people. They should know how to safely handle the guns and use them with the utmost respect for human life. However, society should ensure to help build the youths in ways that they respect human life and uphold morality. Most criminal acts are from the youths who engage in abuse of drugs and under this influence, they get involved in violence. Ensuring that society raises children with respect for life is essential in ensuring that most youths do not engage in gang activities where they are given guns even when they do not know how to use them.
In conclusion gun laws across the world continue to be a debate that is yet to be resolved. Many people have different arguments regarding whether gun laws are efficient or not. However, the governments of different countries have the main decision to make. Countries constitution needs to evaluate what works best for their citizens. Protection of human lives is a right to all members of society. Each government should create the most effective gun laws for the safety of all members of society. Since it is the primary role for leaders to protect their people, government leaders across the world should strive to achieve the best laws to govern gun possession. As the world evolves and technology continues to be of great importance, governments should use this advantage to regulate , track and monitor the use of guns to ensure the safety and welfare of all people .
References
Guns and suicide: A fatal link. (2014, April 23). News . https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/magazine/guns-and-suicide/
Gabor, T. (2016). Gun deaths: The USA versus the world. Confronting Gun Violence in America , 39-50. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33723-4_3
Stronger gun laws, fewer deaths. (2013). BMJ , 346 (mar12 3), f1570-f1570. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f1570
Saint Leo University Student Code of Conduct. https://www.saintleo.edu/hubfs/Greek%20Life/Student%20Affairs/Code%20of%20Conduct.pdf
Velez, M. (2013). Guns, violence, and schools: Policies to prevent and respond to school shootings. SSRN Electronic Journal . https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2220925
