What is gun control and how do countries compare?

According to Britannica, the term gun control refers to legal measures put in place with the intention of restricting or preventing the possession or use of guns, particularly firearms. Why is this term so controversial in the United States and how do gun ownership restrictions compare to the rest of the world?

Last month, I addressed the issue of Asian American racism that hit particularly home for me as an Asian American myself. The racist attacks have been rampant in the US and my article was published the same day a man in Atlanta visited three spas where he shot and killed eight people, six of whom were Asian. In closely following the news in the US, it's been emotionally draining to watch how many mass shootings have taken place just in the past 30 days: 45. Mass shooting is commonly referred to as an event in which four or more people are shot and/or killed and can include multiple locations within close proximity, although the FBI does not define mass shooting as a term of its own, but rather "mass murder".

The US Constitution's 2nd Amendment, ratified in December 1791, states, "having just used guns and other arms to ward off the English, the amendment was originally created to give citizens the opportunity to fight back against a tyrannical federal government." That means people are granted the right to bear arms in the event they would need to fight their own government. Although Mexico and Guatemala both have a constitutional right to bear arms, the US is in a league of its own because it is the only country without any restrictions on gun ownership written in the constitution.

The US is the only developed country that has repeated and regular mass shootings and the highest homicide rate by guns. Time Magazine reported on over 600 just in 2020. Yet, according to Gallup, almost 35 percent of Americans want gun laws to stay as they are and 9 percent wish for less strict gun laws.

Some argue that people shoot guns, guns don't shoot themselves. This is accurate. However, in a nation with mounting mental health problems, economic inequalities and political division, is it beneficial to the citizens that nearly anyone has the ability to own multiple guns? And with these issues, there is not enough funding to assist with mental health treatment or economic inequalities. Last week, a 19-year-old man opened fire and killed eight people in a FedEx facility. According to FBI reports and the man's family, the authorities were very aware of his struggles with mental health a few months before he legally purchased two assault rifles.

Should people's rights to own firearms be taken away? I can't help but question why it's necessary for anyone, anywhere, to own multiple semi-automatic weapons. What do people really think they are defending themselves from? How much does it infringe on your rights if required to take a psychological evaluation or for gun sellers to have limited access to mental health records and criminal history?

According to gov.uk, there are no concealed or open carry laws in the United Kingdom. You simply cannot "carry". Citizens do own rifles and shotguns, but their storage and transport is licensed and regulated; guns and ammunition cannot be stored in the same spot and would need justifying to the police if you were stopped while carrying a gun. Self-defense is not a justification in UK law for shooting someone. The only fully legal self-defense item that can be used at this time is a rape alarm.

An Australian friend informed me about the firearms buy-back program of 1996 after a series of killing sprees and gun-related homicides have dropped significantly over the years. Canadians are allowed to own firearms, however, civilians aren't allowed to possess automatic weapons, handguns with a barrel shorter than 10.5 cm or any modified handgun, rifle or shotgun. After the mass shooting in Nova Scotia in April 2020, the government has banned around 1,500 types of military-grade firearms.

In China, it is illegal for private citizens to own a firearm with the exception of some individual hunting permits. Law enforcement and security positions carry a gun only while on duty. Guns are checked into their departments when shifts are over. Generally, private citizens are not allowed to possess guns. Civilian ownership of guns is largely restricted to authorized, non-individual entities as written in the Firearm Administration Law of the People's Republic of China. I haven't heard of or read of anyone being shot in my more than seven years living here.

Yet Americans fight for the 2nd Amendment even though they aren't going to war or defending against a tyrannical government, just killing each other, including children. Funding is misappropriated to sectors that aren't addressing mental health or economic inequalities. Why can't we do better?

The author is a journalist with China Daily. Contact the writer at schroeder@chinadaily.com.cn