Australia is a successful example of a country that has increased
gun control. In the 1990s, Australia experienced an influx of mass
shootings, with the worst known shooting occurring in 1996. Only 12 days after the shooting, conservative Prime Minister John Howard
developed gun control laws that not only emphasized the national registration
to become more uniform, but also stiffened gun owner licensing procedures and
banned assault rifles in Australia.
Source: Mark Graham- The Guardian
Prime Minister Howard took a leap of faith. He knew the conservative people who elected him into office would be upset with this decision. But, according to an article in ABC News written by Nick Schifrin,“...something extraordinary happened: the laws tapped into public revulsion at the shooting and became extremely popular. And they became extremely effective” Due to the increase in shootings within the United States, President Obama has begun to follow suit. This is where our national gun control debate comes into play and the battle between the NRA and President Obama begins.
In a Huffington Post article Philip Alpers, a firearms analyst who runs the website GunPolicy.org, states, "The Small Arms Survey, an independent research project based in Geneva, noted that of the 28 countries it surveyed for its 2011 report on civilian firearm possession, only two consider civilian ownership of a firearm a basic right: the U.S. and Yemen. But even Yemen has begun clamping down on civilian guns."
Data source: United Nations (Max Fisher - The Washington Post)
The chart displayed above from the Washington Post depicts the national rate of firearm homicides. According to this graph, the United States has the highest rate of firearm-related deaths. (Note: Mexico and other developing countries have significantly higher firearm murder rates than the United States, but were not included on the chart.)
Truth or Truthiness?
According to the Washington Post, "The U.S. gun murder rate is about 20 times the average for all other countries on this chart. That means that Americans are 20 times as likely to be killed by a gun than is someone from another developed country."
Fact Check: Truth.
According to PolitiFact, "If you compare the most recent data on the same group of nations, mostly based on 2009 statistics, the U.S. gun homicide rate is 15 times higher than the other countries. The number fell to 10 times as high when we defined the inexact term of "western nations" as countries belonging to NATO."
Although the Washington Post's statement was a little exaggerated and out of date, it was still true. Compared to other developed and wealthy countries, the U.S. gun murder rates are ridiculously high.
Because the gun control debate exists internationally, there are a variety of international political cartoons about gun control. Our team made a conscious effort to find cartoons from different countries to be able to observe and analyze opinions outside of the U.S. The cartoons we were able to find depict how other countries view the U.S. and our gun policy issues. Some of the international cartoons we analyzed were drawn by cartoonists from Canada, The Netherlands, Brazil and Dubai.
