Gun laws around the world

Gun Laws and Rights Around the World

Over the years debates on gun rights and laws have increased due to increase in mass shooting done by civilians. Such as the mass shooting of twenty school children in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012. This horrific shooting also prompted a new national discussion about gun laws. Although legislation in the United States  attempted to ban semiautomatic assault weapons, it was defeated in the Senate. Gun rights and laws in the US are rooted in the second amendment of the US constitution. Furthermore, there are restrictions on gun rights in United States. For example, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld bans on concealed weapons and on the possession of certain types of weapons, as well as prohibitions against the sale of guns to certain categories of people. Furthermore, the Gun Control Act of 1968 prohibits persons under eighteen years of age, convicted criminals, the mentally disabled, dishonorably discharged military personnel, and others from purchasing firearms. In 1993, the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act mandated background checks for all unlicensed persons purchasing a firearm from a federally authorized dealer. Federal law provides the basis for firearm regulation in the United States, but states and cities can impose further restrictions.according to a report by the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey in the United States  less than 5 percent of the world’s population, has about 35–50 percent of the world’s civilian-owned guns. The United States also has the highest homicide-by-firearm rate among the world’s most developed nations. 

Similar to the US, Canada's national government sets gun restrictions that the provinces, territories, and municipalities can supplement. Canada’s gun laws have also often been driven by gun violence. Firearms in Canada are divided into three classes: nonrestricted weapons, such as ordinary rifles and shotguns; restricted, such as handguns and semiautomatic rifles/shotguns; and prohibited, such as automatic weapons. It is illegal to own a fully automatic weapon unless it was registered before 1978. In 1995 the law required individuals to obtain a license to buy guns and ammunition, as well as register all firearms. However, in 2012, the requirement to register nonrestricted guns was dropped, and related public records were expunged.

In Australia The National Agreement on Firearms prohibited automatic and semiautomatic assault rifles, mandated licensing and registration, and instituted a temporary gun buyback program that took some 650,000 assault weapons out of public circulation.The law also required licensees to demonstrate a “genuine need” for a particular type of gun and take a firearm safety course. 

Israel contains strict gun regulations, including an assault-weapons ban and a requirement to register ownership with the government. To be licensed, an applicant must be an Israeli citizen or a permanent resident, be at least twenty-one-years-old, and speak at least some Hebrew, among other qualifications. Applicants must also show genuine cause to carry a firearm, such as self-defense or hunting.

In the UK  the horrific incident known as the Hungerford massacre, prompted the Firearms (Amendment) Act, which expanded the list of banned weapons, including certain semiautomatic rifles, and increased registration requirements for other weapons. The government also instituted a temporary gun buyback program, which many credit with taking tens of thousands of illegal or unwanted guns out of supply.

All countries regulations were prompted due to horrible tragedies involving fire arms. However most countries hold higher regulations than the US.