From school shootings to mass murders, gun violence has been an ongoing issue throughout the United States. Every year, thousands of American citizens are victims to gun violence throughout the country. The United States is a country where citizens are given the right to bear arms, America has one of the highest rates of gun violence in the world. It also has the highest rate of firearms circulating amongst private citizens. However, the right to bear arms may not be the source of the problem. Switzerland, for example, has one of the most lenient gun control laws in the world. They also have one of the lowest gun violence rates across the globe (Bachmann, 2012). The following discusses the current issue of gun violence throughout the United States and compares the issue with other countries throughout the world.
Gun violence throughout the United States kills roughly the same amount of individuals a year as car accidents. Gun homicide throughout the United States results in approximately 31 million causalities year, or 27 individuals a day. School shootings and mass murders have also started to increase throughout the past two decades. This is unusually high when comparing to other countries around the world. In Germany, for example, roughly two out of one million individuals are killed with guns per year. Gun violence is even rarer in England and Poland, where only one out of one million individuals are victims of gun violence per year. Gun violence is even more uncommon in Japan, where only one out of every ten million individuals are killed by guns. This is the same likelihood of an American being struck and killed by lightning (Quealy & Sanger-Katz, 2016).
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But why is gun violence throughout the United States so common? Many believe it is because America is a nation where its citizens have the right to bear arms. However, it has been found that gun homicide is even higher in countries with strict gun-control laws. In fact, the highest rates of gun violence are found in countries with the strictest gun control laws. Mexico, for example, has some of the strictest gun laws in the world. On the other hand, the country has one of the highest rates of gun violence across the globe. It also has the highest amount of deaths resulting from gun violence each year. In Mexico, gun laws restrict the ability to own a rifle to police officers, military personnel, and trained bodyguards. While the country does have its own version of the Second Amendment, Mexican citizens are limited to only being able to own low stopping power guns. Furthermore, Mexican citizens are only allowed to legally purchase these weapons in Mexico City. The majority of Mexicans are not within driving distance of Mexico City. As a result, a limited number of Mexican citizens own firearms (Longmire, 2012).
Britain is another country with strict gun control laws. The country also has the highest rate of gun violence throughout Europe. The country has been known to have strict gun control laws since World War II. However, handguns were completely banned twenty years ago. Since handguns were banned in Britain in 1997 via the Firearms Act, Britain has become one of the most violent European countries. Actually, firearm use has doubled in the decade following the ban. By 2008, Britain’s violent crime rate was approximately five times higher than the United States. By 2004, street crime increased by eleven percent, rapes increased by fourteen percent, and murders increased by four percent. Furthermore, there was a twenty-two percent increase in robberies and an eight percent increase in muggings. “There is nothing in the statistics for England and Wales to suggest that either the stricter control on handguns prior to 1997 or the ban imposed since have controlled access to such firearms by criminals” (GunFacts.com, 2017).
The majority of surveys conducted over the past twenty years has shown no evidence of a relationship between the rate of gun homicides and the total number of legally owned firearms. Switzerland, for example, has the third-lowest homicide rate in Europe. However, the country is also the most lenient with gun control laws. Switzerland encourages military service amongst all citizens and allows their service members to keep their military rifle after their military service. As a result, there is a gun in almost every Swiss closet (GunFacts.com, 2017). In a country of approximately eight million citizens, it is estimated that there are between two to five million private and military firearms circulating throughout the country. In 2010, however, government numbers showed the country only experienced “0.5 gun homicides per 100,000 inhabitants” (Bachmann, 2012). These low numbers are contributed to the Swiss culture that has been passed down from generation to generation. This culture encourages gun safety and responsibility throughout the Swiss culture. The Swiss Shooting Sports Association, for example, consists of roughly 3,000 different clubs where kids as young as twelve can join a local gun group within their community. These children are taught responsibility and safety when it comes to weaponry. “If people have a responsible, discipline and organized introduction into an activity like shooting, there will be less risk of gun violence” (Bachmann, 2012).
In the United States, on the other hand, increasing gun safety is not seen as a solution to gun violence. Instead, the focus is placed on the availability of guns (Webster, Vernick & Vittes, 2012). While there is no official figure on how many privately owned firearms exist throughout the United States, it is estimated that there are roughly 300 million guns privately held throughout the country. This is enough guns for every United States citizen. Between 2001 and 2011, roughly 11,000 individuals have died per year due to gun violence (Quealy & Sanger-Katz, 2016). However, the availability of guns is also high in countries with low gun violence as well, such as Switzerland. The availability of guns is not the issue; the issue is the lack of training and safety courses offered throughout the country. In Switzerland, it is not uncommon to see a citizen with a rifle across their shoulder. In America, however, such concept is commonly denied. Denying the existence of guns is not going to make gun violence disappear. As seen in Mexico and Britain, limiting private citizen’s rights to owning firearms does not decrease the amount of individuals who become victims to gun violence.
Overall, the availability to guns is not the issue in America. As seen in both Britain and Mexico, denying or restricting access to private firearms can only aggravate the issue. The biggest issue with restricting private ownership of firearms is that certain individuals will still be able to gain access to guns. As a result, those individuals are placed at a higher advantage when it comes to robberies or other violent crimes. In other words, it gives the individuals who are willing and able to gain access to firearms the upper hand. Furthermore, these individuals are typically criminals. Restricting private ownership of firearms only decreases an individual’s ability to protect themselves and their property. When it comes to gun control, the United States should take a lesson from Switzerland and their take on gun control.
- Bachmann, H. (2012). The Swiss difference: a gun culture that works. Retrieved from http://world.time.com/2012/12/20/the-swiss-difference-a-gun-culture-that-works/.
- GunFacts.com (2017). Guns in other countries. Retrieved from http://www.gunfacts.info/gun-control-myths/guns-in-other-countries/.
- Longmire, S. (2012). Mexico proves strict gun laws won’t prevent massacres. Retrieved from http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/mexico-proves-strict-gun-laws-won%e2%80%99t-prevent-massacres/.
- Quealy, K. & Sanger-Katz, M. (2016). Compare these gun death rates: the U.S. is in a different world. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/14/upshot/compare-these-gun-death-rates-the-us-is-in-a-different-world.html?_r=0.
- Webster, D., Vernick, J. and Vittes, K. (2012). The case for gun policy reforms in America. Retrieved from http://www.jhsph.edu
