One of the things I find amusing about American Conservatives is how quickly immigration laws must be reformed when immigrants commit crimes; but how quiet they are on gun laws when well-rooted American citizens shoot up schools, churches, and country music festivals.
The end result is that the United States has more mass shootings, and gun violence in general, than virtually anywhere else in the world.
Japan has none. Here’s why.
If the video doesn’t load automatically, you can watch it here.
One of the cases often made against gun control in America is that Chicago has some of the strictest laws, but high rates of gun violence. This reminds me of the chicken and the egg situation.
Which one came first? The terrible gun violence? Or the laws to curb the issue? But does it even matter? Is the intelligent response to a failing system, no system at all?
Jamaica, for instance, has a serious problem with gun violence in volatile communities. But like Japan and Britain, we have strict gun laws.
In Jamaica, you must learn how to shoot before you can own a gun. You must have a spotless record. You must successfully pass a test. And you must have a very good reason to own one.
Hunters and business owners make up the bulk of legal gun owners in Jamaica. Non-citizens are not allowed to own or carry guns (though I think they made an exception for the FBI and CIA agents who make frequent appearances on the island).
Does this help to stem the influx of illegal guns from Haiti and Miami? No. Is the answer simply to make no attempts at gun control at all? No. Will we be banning migrants from Miami and Haiti as a result? Or blame other countries and their nationals for our problems? No.
The police force (or at least, the good ones) focuses a good bit of its effort on finding and seizing illegal weapons on the island. There is no one-size fits all solution for a problem like this, and blaming others is never the answer.
Australia also has tough gun laws, enacted after our last mass shooting (in 1996). It is still possible for some people, such as competitive shooters and farmers, to own guns, but there are strict rules about who can have them, how they are stored and used, and the types of guns owned.
There’s an amnesty every year, when unwanted or illegal guns can be handed in to police with no questions asked. This has removed a lot of the weapons potentially used for crime – and for those that are still out there, nobody can just rock up to Walmart to buy ammunition, so even the illegal guns are not used willy-nilly.
People do get shot in our country, but so rarely that it makes the National news. Like in Japan, ordinary Australians go about life without ever fearing getting shot.
Thank you for posting this. I think the more we all talk about it, the more likely other countries will someday interrupt the self-perpetuating cycle of fear.
Thank you for watching! I really like that Amnesty rule. More countries should have that. I think Jamaica should consider that, if we don’t have it already.
Here is a brief overview of what happens here. It’s imperfect, but a great start, I think. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/oct/06/australias-firearms-amnesty-collects-more-than-50000-guns
I love how they tied it in with the Vegas shooting! I should really check if Jamaica has anything like this. Thanks so much for sharing!
japan has a strict law on gun control. i wrote an article about it a few months back. a few years ago, statistics on gun crimes in the U.S was around 33k against 6 in Japan.
They do, and it’s working. Did you publish that on your blog? Feel free to dorp a link here so people can see it!
I did. here’s the full article: https://conscioustalkmag.com/2017/10/conscious-thoughts-governments-ban-legalization-firearms/
and thank you.
you have to have a background check to buy a gun, but no one checks how many bullets one buys. maybe there should be controls on the bullets????
i have seasonal allergies and use sudafed to help with the congestion, but because those the make meth, use that medication to cut the meth, california has a law to control the amount one can buy that medication and you have to show ID and sign a statement about only using it for its intended use. sigh we are more concerned about drugs that guns/bullets. what a mixed up world we have built for ourselves.
The background checks are not thorough, or many of these mass shootings would never happen. You’re right though, that maybe controlling the ammunition is a possible solution.
I also found drug control to be interesting in America. You can own a gun before you can legally drink a pint of beer. Makes no sense to me.
Yes, restricting the purchase of bullets to only licensed gun owners would make a huge difference! I’m pretty sure that here in Australia the use of illegal guns is so low because bullets are so hard to get.
Why are bullets hard to get in Australia? Is it restricted only to licensed gun owners, there?
Yes, that’s right. There’s nothing in our department stores (equivalent to Walmart) or anywhere else. Gun owners have to go to specialty shops, and I haven’t seen one anywhere for decades – I don’t have a clue where the nearest gun shop might be, or even if there is still one in our state. I think gun owners have to keep a log of what they have and use, which is checked by police when their gun safe is inspected.
I don’t know where people buy bullets or guns in Jamaica. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any for sale, now that you mention it.
I continue to be astonished that the entire country is held hostage by the NRA and their money when a majority of Americans oppose most of what they promote including automatic rifles in citizen’s hands.
I continue to be astonished, myself. Some of the weapons civilians can buy here, not even our police officers and military are allowed to own in Jamaica. Anything that is difficult to aim with accuracy, or which may blow through concrete walls tend to be ruled out to avoid accidental deaths.
Interesting. That is one of the reasons to why my whole family loves Japan and have visited several times.
I can well imagine! My friends are big fans as well. I believe about 3 of them live there.
Hmm 🤔!!!
How interesting..
Especially about Jamaica 🇯🇲…
But we can seriously take a page out of Japan law and apply it here…
Thank you! Jamaica has been doing it’s best, and we have a long way to go. If we’re still fighting the good fight with limited resources, I see no reason America is lagging behind.
Well as far as I see it..
Jamaicans really don’t need guns to kill.. someone.. or mass killings..
Jamaicans Choice of deadly weapons.. is yet to be control..
Machete… knife.. ice picks..
strangulation…And So On..
But I’m still thankful that they don’t have access to guns..
As for Americans.. guns have been a way of life from the days of the old west…
So it’s really hard to get rid of bills pass in the past..
Still doesn’t excuse all the shootings that’s taking place though…
As for Japan..you have to admire them.
Guns are rapidly taking over from machetes etc. And we’ve never had mass shootings/killings, or bombings, or any acts of terrorism. That at least we can be proud of. Gun violence tends to be targetted, and mostly occurs in volatile neighbourhoods. We don’t just go to church or the movies or school with any expectation of being sprayed with bullets, randomly. I hope that never changes.
Slavery was a big part of “the good old days” and old legacy too, and it eventually was given up. I’d like to think if they can give up free labour, they can give up a few guns lol
What does slavery has anything to do with our debate of guns…
So way off subject… no comparison and doesn’t apply… grrrrrr…
As I said before.. the old western days of gunslingers and everyone living with a gun or by the gun..
Has a lot to do with Americans gun. Control.. and laws..
And they have come a long way since …
Think about it….
Wearing a gun back then was like carrying a cellphone 📱 these days…
My point was that if one evil once thought necessary could be forfeited, another could be, as well. You can agree or disagree or agree to disagree — doesn’t matter to me — but that was my point.
It’s ironic that Japan produces extremely violent manga and anime where the gratuitous use of guns and other assorted weaponry is expected. I also think that Japanese culture is more of a collective mindset whereas American culture focuses more on individual rights.
Yes, you’re right. Community values is the big difference. Jamaica, thankfully, hasn’t lost all our community values for individualism just yet.
It’s funny you mentioned the violent anime. I guess they found a way to project the violence into something more productive haha
True. Productive and profitable. I’m definitely a fan.
I think your point is really important, Benjamin. Australia is not a violent country, even before we had tough gun laws, and we are very proud of our sense of community. Not that everyone is everyone’s friend, but a huge majority of people will help out strangers in times of trouble.
So tighter gun laws probably won’t work in America until there’s a cultural shift. I don’t understand how to convince pro-gun Americans that I am more safe and free without a gun. But I am.
I agree. A cultural shift would have to happen in America but I don’t think that’s possible given the fact that it is a country founded on violence.
Some cultural shifts are violent, or caused by violence. Look at Germany.
True. I don’t think we as Americans asks the right questions when mass shootings occur.
Hmmm… what questions do you propose they ask?
Like, who are the ones committing most of the mass shootings in America? Instead, we get distracted by talk of gun control, mental health, and background checks. I don’t know. Maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about.
I’ve seen that tackled. The answer was that most of the mass shootings and domestic terrorism was being committed by White Supremacists. They also did the most damage, with their acts of violence and terrorism.
Exactly, but it goes no further than that. It becomes an issue of gun control until the next mass shooting and the cycle begins again–wash, rinse, repeat.
This is a good point, Kerri. Any attempt at regulation in America is immediately met with strong opposition. I’m not sure how bad it will have to get before things change. Can it really get any worse?
In Japan ‘s law, the possession of weapons is very strict.
The use of guns by police officers is also hard to regulate.
Japanese houses, entrances, windows – all built strongly, crime prevention is solid.:D
Indeed! America would do well to take a page out of their book.
Alexis, consistency has never been a problem for Conservatives in America. They practice “ideology by convenience.” The anti-immigrant verbiage comes from the No Nothing movement of the 1800s, which was shunned by proper conservatives then and embraced today.
Gun control is a problem, and the US is a violent society. People on both sides of the issue use the debate tactic of arguing from extremes to virtually eliminate any chance for real negotiation and progress.
The newest challenge is “ghost guns.” Basically, a craftsman with a small machine shop can buy parts online and build a weapon. The weapon will work as well as any bought from a manufacturer and will have no serial number, making it untraceable. Every gun up to and including assault rifles can be made that way.
We have a lot of “ghost guns” in Jamaica. A lot of people know how to make them even without the legit parts. We are also a violent society in many areas. The difference with us, is that we don’t embrace this. We know it’s a problem, and we’re working really hard to fix it, and not let the bad apples make the rest of us look bad.
You are right that Conservatives are great at consistency. After all, they are traditionalists, and maintaining the status quo (ie consistency through the ages) has always been a part of traditional ideology.
Thanks so much for reading, watching, and commenting!