Apples and Oranges, Global Comparisons: Guns
A Prologue and Tangent
(Here is my source for this first section.)
When providing foreign aid to other countries people tend to forget that diet and attitudes about food differ from culture to culture. The Millennium Villages Project of 2005 sought to improve the quality of life in African villages. It was an attempt at foreign aid while bypassing corruption and local issues. A part of the Millennium Villages Project was a 147 page guide developed by professors and academics from Columbia to help bring these impoverished areas into prosperity. A pillar of this policy was growing corn. Corn is easy to grow, and nutritious. The Ugandans hated it. In Uganda at that time corn was considered prison food. The project developers in New York didn’t know or account for this. Milk, and beef may be a large part of certain Americans diets but not Indians. Pork is an integral part of Chinese food but not Arabic food. So when people claim that other countries have policies that could work for the US why do we pretend that’s true?
A Personal Anecdote
In my middle school growing up there was a prominent bulletin board filled with pictures of students hunting. Middle school children posing with animals they’d hunted. Going through Hunters Ed (a safety program taught by fudds to license would be hunters) was an important step in every 12 year old's life in my area. When I was still in my single digits I learned how to shoot a gun from my dad. He made sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that I’d be safe, careful, and that I understood what I was handling. I now own guns and go shooting regularly.
The Issue at Hand
A frequent example of gun control working is Japan. Getting a gun is a 13 step process (listed here) and filled to the brim with bureaucracy and licenses. So why not adopt their 13 step process.
Japan has different religions, history, language, culture and philosphy. The left v. right divide Americans are obsessed with doesn’t apply in Japan. Japan’s relationship and culture surrounding guns is very different to the US. Japan has hunting clubs, and is a relatively safer country to live in than the US.
A reminder that despite all of Japan’s gun control and policy a man still assassinated their prime minister with a gun. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
The Millennium Villages Project failed. At first the project did work, corn yields were incredibly high, but it quickly began to fall apart. The project planners didn’t account for certain variables particular to Uganda and Africa and the project failed. I linked the video discussing it at the top of the article if you want to learn more.
There are licenses and permits required for certain gun related activities. Storing guns securely, and safely is a core part of gun culture in America. Everyone knows a story about a misfire or accident as a result of poor safety and handling. Gun owners do want to be safe and store them securely. It’s the manner of going about it that bothers people. Many people would rather keep the police out of their homes and excessive licenses to a minimum. Poor people and minorities that have a tense relationship with law enforcement also have a right to guns.
Gun control advocates often point at other countries to show that it “works” and that these countries are willing to hand us practical legal frameworks to get started. Whose to say that these would work? Why would we use Japanese, or Australian solutions to an American problem?
