In countries like Japan and England, where handguns
are banned or heavily regulated, the murder rate is a
fraction of what it is in the U.S.
Due to their different histories, legal systems and cultures, Japan, England
and the U.S. cannot be accurately compared. However, some observations
can be made.
The murder rate among some ethnic groups in the U.S. is on a par with that
of Britain, even though all ethnic groups in the U.S. have equal access to
firearms. This shows that gun bans, as in England, do not significantly
reduce the murder rate. It also shows that in the U.S., the murder rate is
driven by cultural differences between ethnic groups, and not by mere access
to firearms. This means that, even if firearms were banned in the U.S., there
would not be a significant reduction in the murder rate.
In Japan, the United Nations reports the murder rate is about 1 per 100,000.
In the U.S., there are about 3.2 murders per 100,000 people each year by
weapons other than firearms. This means that even if firearms in the U.S.
could be magically eliminated, we would still have three times the murder rate
of the Japanese.
The very low rate in Japan is clearly due to cultural and historical reasons,
not the ban on firearm ownership. The Japanese are largely a homogenous
ethnic group with a shared culture. They do not have to deal with the same
ethnic and racial friction which has caused much of the problems in the U.S.
But there is also more to the story in Japan. Its murder rate may be low, but
its suicide rate is about 17 per 100,000 people. This means the Japanese are
being murdered and committing suicide at a rate of about 18 per 100,000. In
the U.S., our combined murder and suicide rate is about 18 also (7.0 and
11.1, respectively, according to the Department of Justice). This comparison
is significant because it shows that even if we could ban firearms, there
probably would not be an appreciable reduction in the combined murder and
suicide rate.
Lastly, some countries which have very strict gun control laws (stricter than
England and Japan), have very high murder rates. For example, it is a capital
offense to own a firearm in Taiwan, yet they have a higher murder rate than
we do. In South Africa, guns are strictly controlled, yet their murder rate is
10 times that of the US.
Some new statistics from Australia.
abs.gov.au!OpenDocument#Links
Table 11.16 and graph 11.17 present national statistics on the use of weapons in the commission of selected offences in 1998 and
1999. A weapon was used in 64% of recorded murders and 79% of recorded attempted murders in 1999, a slight decrease from 1998
figures of 71% and 84% respectively. Weapon use in robbery also decreased from 46% in 1998 to 42% in 1999. The proportion of
offences where a firearm was used decreased for both murder and robbery in 1999, but firearms use increased in attempted murders
(from 19% in 1998 to 32% in 1999). The use of firearms in assaults and sexual assaults was less than 1% in both.
Historically firearm related deaths have been on decline in Australia for as long as they have kept statistics. The one anomaly was the slaughter of 35 people in Port Arthur in '96 which precipitated the confiscation laws. You might have to take my word for this as it is one site I have lost track of.
It is not a simple matter to compare countries and statistics. I'm glad you feel safe in your neighborhood and I can truthfully say I feel the same way. |
