Weapons legislation varies around the world
Volume IX Special Issue
Published March 2018
​
Written in conjunction with Sarah Cheung and Joseph Gomez
The United States
Joseph Gomez
The United States is unique in its stance on guns and gun control. The country was founded in the legacy of an armed revolution in 1776. The Second Amendment in 1791, granted citizens the legal right to arm themselves in the case of a tyrannical government. This has led to a more pro-gun culture when compared to most other nations.
​
The easy accessibility of guns has a noticeable impact on American crime. According to the FBI, “Firearms were used in 71.5 percent of the nation’s murders, 40.8 percent of robberies, and 24.2 percent of aggravated assaults.” The direct causes of gun crime in the United States is still up for debate, but can widely be correlated with gang violence, drug abuse, and poverty.
​
Getting rid of guns does not solve every problem. The more gun-restricting United Kingdom, for example, experienced 601 attacks involving acid or other corrosive substances in 2016. The rate of such attacks appear to be increasing.
​
Gun violence in the United States is decreasing. The US Department of Justice reports that gun violence dropped 39 percent from 1993 to 2011.
​
However, it’s up to each state to decide to what extent citizens are able to exercise their right to own a firearm.
​
Texas is known for its lax gun laws; No permit or license is necessary to purchase rifles, shotguns, and ammunition. California, meanwhile is far more complex with additional regulations on “assault weapons,” which the State of California Department of Justice defines in eight bullet points—with multiple subpoints—the various specifications that may prove a firearm to be more threatening.
​
According to The Center of Disease Control and Prevention, Texas was reported in having 3,203 firearm deaths in 2015, whereas California had 3,095.
​
Vermont is a strange exception to the status quo of gun control. A fairly blue state, Vermont is more rural and has one of the smallest populations of all 50 states, at 623,657 people by July of 2017.
​
With even the exception of countries having exceptions to the rule, guns are, and will probably always be a subject of debate in the United States.
Switzerland
Sarah Cheung
Switzerland embraces the possession of guns. According to Time, there is an estimated 2.3 million to 4.3 million guns in circulation among eight million Swiss; yet there are about a 10th the amount of homicides committed as in the United States.
​
Levels of comfort with guns are higher in Switzerland than America largely because the hobby of sharpshooting is taught at the young age of 12. Peter Squires, who has studied international gun violence, describes this as a "culture of support" rather than a focus on individualism. This fosters a sense of social responsibility with weapons that has been passed through generations.
​
Furthermore, casual gun ownership is a result of Switzerland's national identity and duty. This originated in World War II, when nearly all civilians carried guns and were trained to use them in case of a German invasion.
​
Due to a gun incident in 2001, the gun law was changed, allowing only those 18 years and older with a permit, a clear criminal record, and no history of mental illness to purchase up to three authorized weapons.
​
Still, guns are a less menacing threat in Swiss society due to the integration of responsible weapon use into their everyday lives.
“If people have a responsible, disciplined, and organized introduction into an activity like shooting, there will be less risk of gun violence,” he [Peter Squires] tells TIME.
​
The United Kingdom
Sarah Cheung
​
In the United Kingdom, to bear arms is not a given right; instead, civilians who wish to do so must go through an arduous process to prove that they aren't a danger to society. Rather than assuming gun bearers are mature enough to handle them, the government requires that they provide compelling reasons in an application as to why they should be granted one.
​
​
The application also asks for the person's mental state, life at home, and attitude about guns. Furthermore, the applicant is searched for any evidence of alcohol or drug abuse, and must have a guarded location to keep the weapon. This is all in the government's attempt to inhibit just anyone from owning weapons simply out of desire.
​
Firearms are especially tough to obtain because they are only authorized for specific situations, such as hunting. However, the UK's restrictions on shotguns are more flexible because they are often used in rural settings for the necessity of protecting livestock.
​
According to BBC News, England and Wales have about 138,728 people certified to possess firearms. Scotland has an estimated 26,072 certified civilians. Not only are gun holders scarce, but their privileges can be revoked— between 2008 and 2009, about 1,300 certificates were invalidated.
​
​
Japan
Ben Balster
​
The Japanese Firearm and Sword Possession Control Law of 1958 begins with the phrase “Except under one of the following conditions, no person shall possess any firearm or sword.”
​
Japan’s strict gun regulation dates back to the end of the Sengoku period (similar to the Warring States period in China) during the 17th century. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the shogun at the time, instituted a ban on civilian possession of swords and firearms. These regulations were continued under the Tokugawa Shogunate into the early 18th century. During the Meiji Restoration in 1868, power was restored in the Meiji emperor, but Japan’s restrictive weapon policies continued.
​
The 20th century saw multiple revisions to the government’s weapon regulation, and after World War II, the allied powers essentially disarmed and demilitarized Japan. When Japanese occupation ended, the government continued Japan’s tradition of firearms restriction.
In the 21st century, the number of gun related deaths has remained below 100 deaths annually, with recent years seeing between five and 50 deaths every year, less than 0.1 percent of the population.
In other Asian countries, a tenuous political climate demands a substantial military stockpile of weapons. South Korea and Taiwan are two of the top importers of American-produced firearms, and other countries near the contentious South China Sea, such as Singapore and China, also have a large number of military firearms. All of these countries see low rates of gun violence and have fairly restrictive firearms regulation. Punishment for trafficking, selling, or discharging a gun in Asia varies from a few years in jail and a large fine to death.
With these laws put in place, civilians in Asia have minimal experience with guns, which, in conjunction with lower crime rates, especially those involving firearms, has produced a society less reliant on guns for self defense and less inclined to possess them.