Is it Under Control?
Many families I America have suffered from gun violence. Schools are no longer safe places for children to learn. Everyday children under the age of 19 are either killed or injured by gun fire. Homicide is the second cause for death in children 10-19. For black males, his is the number one cause of death. Gun control would seem to be in the best interest of everyone. The question is, does gun control really work to decrease crime.
Tighter laws and restrictions doesn’t seem to lower crime or even murder. For criminal’s guns are as easily accessible as getting marijuana. Law abiding citizens seem to be more vulnerable when they are disarmed due to these criminals disobeying the gun laws and other laws. America has the highest homicide rate. According to Vox, in 2012 every 29.7% per 1 million people in America were affected by homicide, and 88.8% guns per 100 people own guns in America. So why does America have the strictest gun law rates, in certain states, but have the highest homicidal rate?
In the U.K. hand guns’ hand guns are banned. The police, armed forces and only few people with special permission are allowed to carry guns. Military style weapons are also banned. In order to receive a gun there has to be “good reason” such as job requirement, sport, or killing vermin. Self-defense is not a “good reason” for an average citizen to be armed. Receiving a gun can be very challenging due to the fact that the police are the ones who can issue them to people. The police have to do an intensive and invasive search on a person trying to obtain fire arms.
Mental illness, alcoholism, drug addiction, references, regarding mental state, home life, and attitude towards guns are all included and analyzed. In addition, the police may even check your home to see if you have vermin, which is mostly in the rural area of the U.K. Coupled with all of these background checks if a person is lucky enough to get a gun the license has to be renewed every five years and you must go through an intense licensing course. In the U.K. ownership of guns are 6.2 per 100 people; homicide .7 per 1 million people.
England is one of the top countries who seemed to have lowered the homicide rates by guns. In Australia, it is 1.4 per 1 million people, Germany 1.9 per million, Switzerland 7.7 per million people and America with the highest ever 29.7 per million people. In many countries, a lot of guns seemed to be banned. Rules and regulations such as obtaining deadly assault rifles, having certain ages to buy guns, intensive background check and training, limited gun supply stores seem to work for other countries to lower gun crimes and killings.
In the U.K there technically is no gun control, they are basically gun are bans in the U.K. The law says it is possible however, this is a situation where the law has a loophole which targets a specific group from not being able to do something. You can be armed if you have “good reason” but with only 5 gun stores in all of England it’s nearly impossible. It hardly seems beneficial to try and get a gun when you have to do so many things and drive miles to get to the nearest gun store in the first place. About 2% of the population actually has the guns which are the police and those with permission.
No gun control doesn’t work, as can be seen gun bans seem to be working. Many other countries such as Japan, Canada, Austria seem to have figured out that banning guns have lowered their homicide rates, by guns, drastically. The laws put in place target citizens and prevents / almost makes it impossible to get a gun.