Other nations
have adopted effective measures to stop the public slaughters. Following a mass
shooting in 1996 when 35 people were killed and 18 wounded, Australia adopted a
series of measures that have had significant, positive results.
Canberra embarked
on a widespread gun buy-back campaign and enacted strict gun laws.
The net result of
Australia’s actions has led to a marked decline in suicides and murders with
guns. Since 1996, Australia has had only one mass shooting.
According to the
Library of Congress Law Library, “Great Britain has some of the most
stringent gun control laws in the world. The main law is from the late
1960s, but it was amended to restrict gun ownership further in the latter part
of the twentieth century in response to massacres that involved lawfully
licensed weapons. Handguns are prohibited weapons and require special
permission. Firearms and shotguns require a certificate from the police
for ownership, and a number of criteria must be met, including that the applicant
has a good reason to possess the requested weapon. Self-defense or a
simple wish to possess a weapon is not considered a good reason. The
secure storage of weapons is also a factor when licenses are granted.”
Great Britain has a
well-deserved reputation of having some of the tightest gun control laws in the
world. Again, the Library of Congress Law Library notes, “Only police
officers, members of the armed forces, or individuals with written permission
from the Home Secretary may lawfully own a handgun. This stringent legislation
may, in part, account for Britain’s relatively low statistics for the use of
firearms in crime—in 2008–2009 firearms were used in only 0.3% of all recorded
crimes and were responsible for the deaths of thirty-nine people. …”
“Firearms laws governing the country (Great
Britain) have generally been enacted in a reactive manner in response to
massacres and overwhelming public support that backed the introduction of
prohibitions on firearms. The laws cover a number of weapons, including handguns,
shotguns, imitation firearms, deactivated firearms, and air weapons…”
With these strict
gun laws, Great Britain remains a democracy where individual rights are
guaranteed and protected. The absence of an armed citizenry has not led to a
dictatorship.
The
self-proclaimed greatest nation in the world does not sit still idly by while
those who are threat to society use innocent people for target practice. The
increase in mass shootings has shown that demanding action on the part of our
elected officials to help stop these massacres is an imperative. (To be
continued)
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