In the wake of the tragic Aurora shootings, gun control is back in the political spotlight. And, predictably as ever, high-profile conservatives and gun-nuts are pontificating about how more armed civilians would make our country safer, and lamenting that nobody pulled out a gun and tried to be a hero.
There's just as powerful a counter-argument from a reality-based perspective. Simply put, it's far harder for a would-be hero to hit a single, specific, heavily-armored target in a dark theater than it is for that heavly-armored madman to aim blindly into the theater and hit anything and anyone. But I suppose that's still a pure hypothetical -- there's no way to know what would have happened if someone else had pulled out a gun and tried to stop the Aurora shooter.
Still, wouldn't it be nice if there were a concrete way to demonstrate that increased access to firearms does not promote a safer society (and, in fact, does just the opposite)? As it turns out, there is, and that case is made very well in an article I read this evening on the website of The Atlantic. Follow me below the curious squiggly orange croissant for more discussion.
The article in question details the differences between the gun culture in the United States and in Japan. The differences could not be more stark. In 2008 in the US, there were over 12,000 homicides involving firearms. In 2006 in Japan, the national total of firearm-related homicides was 2. Two. In a country of 128 million people. Just two. When there were 22 such deaths in Japan during the next year (2007), it was considered a national scandal.
Both the US and Japan are modern, populous, industrialized nations. Both have large cities, crime, and politicians from across the ideological spectrum. So why is it that Japan's gun-related homicide rate is lower than ours by three orders of magnitude?
Almost no one in Japan owns a gun. Most kinds are illegal, with onerous restrictions on buying and maintaining the few that are allowed. Even the country's infamous, mafia-like Yakuza tend to forgo guns; the few exceptions tend to become big national news stories.
Huh. That's odd. When nobody owns a gun, there's a much lower gun-related homicide rate. Despite the outcries of the right-wing and the NRA lobby here in the US, the evidence from a country that has exceptionally strict gun control laws suggests that gun control does in fact cut way, way down on gun violence.
But surely there must still be gun enthusiasts in Japan, right? What about them? Well, according to article:
To get a gun in Japan, first, you have to attend an all-day class and pass a written test, which are held only once per month. You also must take and pass a shooting range class. Then, head over to a hospital for a mental test and drug test (Japan is unusual in that potential gun owners must affirmatively prove their mental fitness), which you'll file with the police. Finally, pass a rigorous background check for any criminal record or association with criminal or extremist groups, and you will be the proud new owner of your shotgun or air rifle. Just don't forget to provide police with documentation on the specific location of the gun in your home, as well as the ammo, both of which must be locked and stored separately. And remember to have the police inspect the gun once per year and to re-take the class and exam every three years.
Wow... that's a very strict system of controls. But it works. Remember -- Japan had
two gun-related homicides in all of 2006. Unfortunately, such a system seems unlikely here, given the influence and power of the pro-gun lobby. Moreover, the fundamental philosophy on gun ownership couldn't be more different between the United States and Japan:
U.S. gun law begins with the second amendment's affirmation of the "right of the people to keep and bear arms" and narrows it down from there. Japanese law, however, starts with the 1958 act stating that "No person shall possess a firearm or firearms or a sword or swords," later adding a few exceptions. In other words, American law is designed to enshrine access to guns, while Japan starts with the premise of forbidding it.
So there you have it -- concrete evidence that strict gun control works, and works very, very well. Of course, there are other factors that might be at play here, like the cultural differences between the US and Japan (individualism vs. the greater good of the community; privacy vs. security; distrust of authority vs. deference to authority; etc...). Still, the US has the highest gun violence rate among the developed world, and by far the laxest gun laws in the developed world. I find it hard to believe that's a coincidence. I just hope someday enough people wake up to this fact so we can change our policies and save lives in the future.