The U.S´s Policy on Gun Control and its effect on other countries

The U.S. Policy on Gun Control has a great effect on other countries. Keeping in mind that it is the strongest, most renowned country in the world, we can see how many fledging nations see its policies as a model to follow. As of the current moment, it is still legal (and not at all difficult) to own a gun in the U.S. This has been cited as the reason for many tragedies (such as The Columbine High School Massacre of 1999). The actual policies have been greatly controversial, both within the country itself and around the world. There are two sides to the argument: gun control activists (in favor of putting restrictions on the legal ownership of guns) and gun rights activists (in favor of keeping gun laws unchanged/guns easy to access). This discussion was launched into the mainstream in the 1990´s. Gun right activists sight the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that gives the right to bear arms, while gun control activists sight the constantly increasing appearance of shootings in the last few decades. Assigning blame for this issue is a complicated matter due to the fact that these laws come from the U.S. Constitution (which was established in the 1700´s, with the Second Amendment being established in 1791) and are not easy to change. The primary blame lies with the government, however it is hard to pinpoint who exactly is to blame (although in this current presidency, President Donald J. Trump has established that he is happy with the availability of guns and isn´t in any hurry to change the law). Many other countries have their own opinion of this issue, with many finding the law preposterous, however they do not have much of a say due to it being an internal matter. The proposed way to change it is to slowly start introducing limitations to the use of guns, although it is unknown how some sections of the American public would react to this (it is estimated that about 49% of households own a gun), and it is not a process to be taken lightly.

            The UN is convinced this issue causes conflict in the world for varied reasons. Within the U.S, it has caused a division between a large section of the population. Affirming that there have been many firearm attacks in the U.S (many of them caused by teenagers), it has been deemed a danger by many. Despite this, many other countries follow similar rules to the U.S. For example, Canada´s laws are stricter compared to the U.S.´s, however in recent years safeguards have been diminished, although the screening process for prospective gun owners is still more thorough. The U.S. has also criticized other nation´s gun policies, calling Norway´s strict laws ineffective. One of the movements against the gun policies has been the “Stop NRA (National Rifle Association)” movement. Some countries that support stricter gun laws have been the U.K. (United Kingdom), Australia (following the Port Arthur Massacre of 1996) and Japan.

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 Donald Trump on Gun Control. (2016, September 15). Retrieved February 13, 2017, from http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Donald_Trump_Gun_Control.htm

Gun politics in the United States. (2017, February 6). Retrieved February 13, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics_in_the_United_States

Relations, C. O. (2012, December 21). U.S. Gun Policy: Global Comparisons. Retrieved February 17, 2017, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/gun-policy/+