Month: February 2019 (Page 2 of 3)

Japan

• Population in 2018: 127,185,332
  
• Deaths by guns in 2018: 10

From Business Insider:

Japan’s success in curbing gun deaths is intimately linked with its history. Following World War II, pacifism emerged as one of the dominant philosophies in the country. Police only started carrying firearms after American troops made them, in 1946, for the sake of security. It’s also written into Japanese law, as of 1958, that “no person shall possess a firearm or firearms or a sword or swords.”

If Japanese people want to own a gun, they must attend an all-day class, pass a written test, and achieve at least 95% accuracy during a shooting-range test. Then they have to pass a mental-health evaluation, which takes place at a hospital, and pass a background check, in which the government digs into their criminal record and interviews friends and family. They can only buy shotguns and air rifles — no handguns — and every three years they must retake the class and initial exam.

Japan has also embraced the idea that fewer guns in circulation will result in fewer deaths. Each prefecture — which ranges in size from half a million people to 12 million, in Tokyo — can operate a maximum of three gun shops; new magazines can only be purchased by trading in empty ones; and when gun owners die, their relatives must surrender the deceased member’s firearms.

Sweden

• Population in 2018: 10,026,586
  
• Deaths by guns in 2018: 41

Switzerland

• Population in 2018: 8,544,034
• Deaths by guns in 2018: 47

United Kingdom

• Population in 2018: 66,809,412
• Deaths by guns in 2018: 50

Israel

• Population in 2018: 8,452,841
• Deaths by guns in 2018: 105

Australia

• Population in 2018: 24,964,327
• Deaths by guns in 2018: 207

United States

• Population in 2018: 329,093,106
• Guns in 2018: 393,347,000
• Deaths by guns in 2018: 39,773