Adam%Cordingly%

THE$3RD$MOD$LIBERAL$PARTY$
VIEWS$ON$GUN$CONTROL$POLICY%
%
The%primary%concerns%of%gun%control%policy%are%high%power%assault%rifles%and%handguns%(those%
that%would%fall%under%the%category%of%concealed%carry).%This%party%is%unable%to%see%why%someone%
under%ordinary%circumstances%would%need%an%assault%rifle.%Rates%of%gun%ownership%of%have%been%
on%the%decline%in%general.%Yet%according%to%gunpolicy.org%there%are%still%approximately%101.05%
civilian%owned%firearms%per%100%people%in%the%US1.%By%extension,%we%can%infer%that%there%are%
more%guns%than%people%in%the%United%States.%
%
Canada%is%a%model%similar%enough%to%the%US%that%we%can%compare%the%two%in%terms%of%rates%of%
gun%violence2.%We%can%see%from%these%data%that%Canada%is%ostensibly%doing%better%than%the%US.%
We%have%not%parsed%all%the%data%from%all%countries%from%which%data%is%available,%but%this%
example%shows%rather%surprising%results.%
%
Country$
United%States%
Canada%

Deaths$of$any$kind$due$to$
Firearm$Homicides$
Guns/Person*$ firearms$(per$100,000$people)*$ (per$100,000$people)*$
1.015%
10.64%
3.55%
0.308%
2.05%
0.38%

%
%
%*%Data%from%2013% 1%

%
%
%

%
%
%

%
One%important%distinction%between%Canada%and%the%US%is%that%the%regulation%of%guns%in%Canada%
is%categorized%as%restrictive,%whereas%gun%regulation%in%the%US%is%permissive.%The%difference%
between%the%two%is%summed%up%well%by%GunPolicy.org:3%
%
Licensing.laws.that.allow.all.but.the.prohibited.categories.of.persons.to.acquire.guns.
can.be.called.permissive,.since.most.people.are.able.to.meet.licensing.requirements..Before.an.
applicant.can.be.denied.a.license.or.a.firearm.owner's.identification.card,.the.administering.
agency.must.show.that.the.applicant.is.a.member.of.one.of.the.prohibited.groups.*.
Another.approach.to.firearms.control.is.restrictive.licensing..Under.such.a.system.a.
person.seeking.to.buy.a.firearm,.typically.a.handgun,.must.provide.the.licensing.authority.with.
evidence.of.good.character.and.have.a.valid.reason.why.he.needs.the.firearm..
In.restrictive.licensing,.the.presumption.used.in.permissive.systems.is.reversed:.the.
applicant.must.give.a.sufficient.reason.for.allowing.him.to.have.a.gun.rather.than.the.licensing.
authority.being.required.to.show.a.reason.for.denying.the.request..
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

%http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/unitedUstates%
%http://www.statcan.gc.ca%
3
%http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/citation/quotes/22%
2

Adam%Cordingly%
SO.%
! Restrictive%policy%requires%that%you%prove.that.you.should%have%a%gun.%
! Permissive%policy%on%the%other%hand%requires%that%some%administering/entity%prove.that.you.
shouldnt/have.a.gun.%%
! Restrictive%policy%is%clearly%the%more%sensible%of%the%two.%This%comes%down%to%the%fact%that%a%gun%
is%strictly%a%deadly%weapon%%the%only%reason%to%own%a%gun%is%so%that%you%can%kill%something%or%
someone.%%
! Therefore,%it%should%be%assumed%that%someone%seeking%a%gun%has%ill%intentions%until%they%prove%
otherwise.%
%

WE%CAN%AGREE%THAT:%
! Guns%make%it%easier%to%commit%homicide%or%suicide.%%
! Government%cant%control%people%as%easily%as%it%can%control%guns.%
! The%availability%of%guns%must%be%decreased.%Guns%should%be%harder%to%get%U%background%
checks%should%be%required.%Gun%purchases%should%be%discouraged.%
! We%must%focus%on%fixing/mitigating%social%issues%that%create%criminals,%not%on%fixing%
mental%health%disorders%that%supposedly%lead%to%gun%violence.%
%