By Jeffery Laux
When are we willing to change for the betterment of our own nation? We have remodeled ideals and rules based on other countries laws and beliefs but why can’t we take after Japan, Norway, Australia, and The United Kingdom who have all limited the number of deaths by a gun since implementing harsh restrictions on acquiring guns and making sure security is top notch at all events. These past few months have been horrific as there has been an accumulated 106 fatal deaths and more than 400 injuries due to mass shootings that have happened in Parkland (FL), Las Vegas (NV), Rancho Tehama Reserve (CA), and Sutherland Springs (TX). Guns have been put in question as a whole, some people want them to be restricted to a hard-ship access, and the rest want guns outlawed from this country. If you want to restrict access to guns, then look no further east at our friends, the Japanese.
Japan has only had 10 shooting deaths a year while their population is a massive 127 million people, that’s 0.00000008%, it’s even lower than Dwight Howards free throw percentage. If Japanese people want to own a gun, they must attend an all-day class, pass a written test, and achieve at least 95% accuracy during a shooting-range test. Then they have to pass a mental-health evaluation at a hospital, as well as a background check. The background check consists of records of your family and close friends to detect if any are criminals or mental patients. After three years has passed the licensed owner must retake the exam and pass all segments as he/she did the first time. Even after all of these requirements, the Japanese can only buy two guns which are an air rifle and a shotgun. The Japanese government entrusts that guns only go to certified licensed holders that have passed tough exams and a full evaluation. America must look into supplementing their own laws that model this perfect example of gun restrictions.
The government of a country plays a big role in the impact of guns on its own turf. Norway has made sure that its people are all for keeping their soil bullet free. Compared with the US, Norway has about one-third of the number of guns per 100 civilians and about one-tenth of the rate of gun deaths per 100,000. The trust between the government and its people goes a long way, such as the trust between people and their local police departments. A study that took place in 2015 revealed that the number of fatal shootings by police in Norway in the past nine years was less than the number of fatal shootings by American police officers in one day. Already in the year 2018, there have been more than 164 fatal shootings by a police officer. This might be the toughest problem to solve throughout America due to the prolonged amount of police shootings that occur.
Australia put their money to the test. A huge amount of violence in the 1980s and ’90s that culminated in a 1996 shooting in Port Authur that left 35 dead led Australian Prime Minister John Howard to take gun control into his own hands. He decided to generate a huge buyback program that ultimately collected 600,000 automatic, semi-automatic, and shotguns. The government decided to destroy all of these guns as they stated: “No more evil may be created by these weapons”. After many of years, the gun-death totals were cut nearly in half as many suicides and homicides declined due to the decreasing demand for weapons. Firearm suicides dropped to 0.8 per 100,000 people in 2006 from 2.2 in 1995, while firearm homicides dropped to 0.15 per 100,000 people in 2006 from 0.37 in 1995. For America, this might be a difficult task to obtain but it will definitely pay off in the long run.
The United Kingdom used all three tactics from Japan, Norway, and Australia. First, Parliament passed legislation banning private ownership of handguns in Britain and banned semiautomatic and pump-action firearms throughout the United Kingdom. Shotguns are the only accessible gun throughout this country but they come at a heavy price as there are extensive requirements that are along the lines of paperwork and tests for mental stability. A $200 million buyback program led to the government’s purchase of approximately 162,000 guns and 700 tons of ammunition from citizens.
Maybe America will listen, maybe they won’t, but factual evidence of four developed countries making a difference will linger in the minds of NRA members for a lifetime. Whether it’s banning AR-15’s or just changing the mindset of the countries beliefs about guns. We need to do something before it could be an unfortunate situation for us or a loved one at the hand of a psycho with their finger gripped on a weapon of mass destruction.