America: Death by a Handgun

Americans really love their guns. The 2nd amendment guarantees the limited right to keep and bear arms. But, our founding fathers didn't think guns would be used in the manner they are used today. The 2nd amendment was intended to provide protection to the citizens against Indians, foreign powers, or the power of the federal government, at a time where there was little or no army. In the 21st century, handguns are used to kill about 30,000 Americans each year.

In the U.S, just about anyone can acquire a firearm. No criminal background checks are required for the buyers and sellers of handguns. Members of the terrorist watch list are not prohibited from acquiring a firearm. Concealed carry permits are sometimes given to perpetrators of violent misdemeanors. There is no safety training course required to receive a concealed carry permit. Guns are less regulated than cars and toys in America. This is the reason why guns get into the hands of criminals so often.

There are approximately 175 gun murders in Canada each year. In 2011, there were 58 murders by firearms in Britain. Japan has as few as 2 gun- related murders a year. In America, there are about 24 gun murders every day. That's 24 gun murders every day. How do other countries maintain so little gun violence compared to the U.S? By regulating guns tougher than we do. Japan does it in part by forbidding almost all forms of firearm ownership.

Gun control in Japan is the strictest in the Democratic world. Japan's law states "No-one shall possess a fire- arm or fire-arms or a sword or swords". Yet Japan is not the only country that benefits from strict weapon laws. The majority of UK police officers do not carry handguns at all. As a result of their strict weapon laws not many criminals are armed. In Switzerland, almost every adult male is legally required to possess a firearm. Despite, gun crime in Switzerland is practically non-existent. This is for the reason that Switzerland is a nation with strict gun laws. All guns are registered, and handgun purchases require a background check and a permit.

America's gun control laws are the loosest in the developed world. With mass murders on the rise our gun laws must become stricter or our body count will rise. There will always be mass murders and there will always be innocent civilians killed by people with guns. However, with stricter gun regulation we will never see another 25,000 people killed in a year by guns.

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