Firearms: protection or risk?

This Guidebook aims to provide a straightforward response to everything you’ve wanted to know about the advantages and disadvantages of using guns for self-defense – but did not know who to ask.1 There are answers to questions, myths and criticisms that have come our way over the years, in the different countries in which we have debated and spoken on gun violence prevention.

This international edition is meant to be a source of information for people who are deciding whether to buy or keep a gun, or who want to advise their communities on these issues; for lawmakers or others seeking to influence gun laws; and for teachers, journalists or other informers of public opinion.

Our societies are becoming increasingly violent, while at the same time, violence has become increasingly lethal due to unfettered gun proliferation and misuse. Governments have responded differently to the public outcry for improvements in security. Four countries have completely banned civilian possession of firearms: Luxemburg, Borneo, Malaysia and Botswana. Another three countries have severely restrictive gun laws: Japan, the United Kingdom and China. The majority of the countries we studied do have some controls in place. The most permissive legislation is found in the United States, Finland and most Arab countries.

The world has never been so highly armed. There are more than 600,000,000 small arms in circulation, considering data from only 110 countries, or about half of the world population. These guns kill around 300,000 people a year in wars, break-ins, suicides, homicides among friends or relatives, and accidents. At the same time, policymakers pour attention and resources into preventing kidnappings among famous people, terrorism and serial killers, which, although they are a concern, occur far less frequently than gun deaths. However, they do make a big impact on public opinion, often manipulated by the ‘fear factor’.

Although Latin America has just 14% of the world’s population, it is responsible for nearly half the gun homicides in the world3 – due to lack of effective gun control policies and other factors we will also analyze here. Violence consumes between 13-15% of the region’s GDP. And this holds true even though just one country on the continent is engaged in an official war.

Colombia’s internal conflict has killed more than 475,000 people since 1979. Even there, it is a commonly-held belief that both military and civilian casualties are caused with war-grade weaponry. But the Red Cross has estimated that 60% of the victims of war are killed with small arms, and 35% of these deaths occur amongst civilians.

It took six years of research, travel to many different countries, and a focused effort to take in all possible information on what went right and what went wrong with disarmament efforts around the world. With the exception of criminals, gun owners and people who want to get rid of guns have a single objective: security.

We respect both sides because ultimately they want to prevent violence and increase safety – but who is right? In this publication, we present the reader with pros and cons of using guns for self-defense, so that he or she may reach their own conclusion. The information has been gathered in major research centers around the world, though much of it is little-known outside specialist circles.

As the population becomes increasingly decimated by growing violence, people become more curious or even anxious to learn about an issue that is still taboo in many countries: the secret universe of guns and gun violence. The illicit trade in firearms and ammunition pulls in sky-high profits, and those who benefit would do almost anything to keep ‘inside’ information under wraps. Little is said and little is known about the comings and oings of guns; basic questions remain unanswered.

Should we buy a gun to defend our families and our property? What are the advantages and risks involved? Do people have a fundamental right to self-defense with a gun? Does gun control make life easier for criminals by taking guns away from ‘honest citizens’, who are then left ‘defenseless’?Should women use guns to protect themselves against violence perpetrated by men? What are the main sources that supply arms to criminals and how can they be controlled?

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