Overview of gun laws by nation

In both the United States and around the world, debates about firearms policy center on the role of privately owned firearms in Crime and Crime Prevention, as well as on the role of these firearms in the Balance of Power between governments and the people.

In summary, those who support gun control claim that there is no fundamental right to own weapons, that gun control legislation helps to cut down on violent crime by reducing the availability of weapons, and that citizens have no need to own guns to protect themselves against governments or crime.

Those who oppose gun control claim that owning weapons is a fundamental right, that letting law-abiding citizens have guns decreases crime by increasing the ability of people to protect themselves, and that restricting gun ownership makes the people vulnerable both to crime and to totalitarian government.

This is a controversial issue.

Gun Politics in the United States

The private ownership of guns is an especially contentious political topic around in the United States, where the Second Amendment to the US Constitution states:

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

The meaning of this text remains fiercely debated, with some saying that the amendment only refers to official bodies under government control (i.e., a militia) and others saying that the amendemnt always guaranteed the right of independent individuals to possess and carry firearms.

There are many positions held on this debate, including the belief that gun ownership is currently overregulated, the desire to further regulate guns without banning them, and the wish to ban ownership outright. Gun rights and gun control advocates disagree upon many issues. Key disagreements include:

Did the Framers intend the Second Amendment apply to individuals or only to government bodies such as States?
Does the National Guard take the place of the militia referred to in the Second Amendment?
Should the Second Amendment enjoy Fourteenth Amendment incorporation?
Does existing gun control legislation infringe upon the Second Amendment?
How many crimes are prevented and lives are saved due to the availability of firearms?
How many crimes are caused and lives are lost due to the availability of firearms?
Should the government have the right to restrict or regulate gun ownership?

Some questions of regulatory policy include:

Types of firearm - Should some types of firearms be regulated differently to others?
Criteria of eligibility - Are there criteria that disqualify a person from owning firearms? (Possible criteria include age, mental competence, firearm training, and felony conviction)
Background checks - Should there be background checks made to verify eligibility to own a firearm? Who should make them, and should there be a waiting period before a firearm can be sold?
Registration - Should all firearms and firearm owners be registered? If so, how may the registration information be used, and who should have access to it?
Concealed weapons - Should carry a concealed weapon be regulated? If so, should concealed carry be regulated separately from ownership, and if so, how?

The field of political research regarding firearms suffers from the same contention as the issue of firearms itself. Almost every prominent researcher has seen their works attacked by those uncomfortable with their conclusions, and some have had their work investigated as academic fraud. Nonetheless, some influentual individuals include:

Some prominent advocacy organizations in this field:

National Rifle Association

Handgun Control

Gun Owners of America

Center to Prevent Handgun Violence

rkba.org

Gun Politics in Canada

In Canada, gun control is less contentious than in the United States; however, there are groups who defend the possession of guns, arguing that they are necessary for hunting and farm use, especially. The pressure that led to the current gun-registration law began with the Ecole Polytechnique Massacre in Montreal on December 6, 1989. The present law requires all firearms to be registered.

Gun Politics in the UK

In the United Kingdom, handguns are completely banned for private ownership, following legislation passed shortly after the Dunblane massacre. There was relatively little resistance to the legislation, although it had opponents on both sides of the argument (those who felt it was too weak, and those who felt it went too far).