The Swiss Way-Gun Control

The Swiss Way- Gun Control Theodore Roosevelt once said, “We should encourage rifle practice among school boys, and indeed, among all classes. The first step in the direction of preparation to avert war if possible, and to be fit for war, if it should come, is to teach men to shoot.” One of the biggest debates in the United States at the moment is whether or not there should be a tighter control on guns. If one were to look at the statistics around the world, the country that seems to have one of the lowest crime rates(with its percentage of gun ownership) is Switzerland. There is a very high percentage of gun ownership, yet a very low crime rate. Maybe the United States should be considering loosening the bands on gun ownership, and instead, …show more content…
Ted Cruz, a republican-presidential candidate, said “Sadly, virtually every one of these shootings across the country has occurred in so-called gun-free school zones. If you look at the jurisdictions that have really strict gun control laws, they consistently have among the highest crime rates”(Gravois). Cruz is on to something when he says that when there are more strict gun control laws, there tends to be a higher crime rate. If one takes a look at the United States, there is a very high gun-ownership rate with a very high gun-crime rate. If a person were to then go look at the gun-ownership rate of Switzerland, it would be very high, but there would be a low gun-crime rate. It is almost a form of reverse psychology: the government tells people that they shouldn’t use guns, and that guns should possibly be outlawed, which just makes people want to use them more. It’s not that the government is using this technique on purpose, it’s that the government thinks that they’re putting these strict laws in place with the intention to keep people safe. In reality, these laws are urging “rebels” to act out. It is a natural human response, because people begin to feel as if their sense of control is being taken away( When Does Reverse…). So by loosening the controls on guns, people might now feel as if their freedom is …show more content…
Donald Trump has said, “I support the ban on assault weapons, and I support slightly longer waiting periods to purchase a gun”(Euceph). In Switzerland, one must be eighteen-years-old, must pass a long criminal background check, and they must provide a legitimate reason as to why they want the gun(Switzerland). The one that sticks out the most would have to be the long background check. To buy a gun in a store, the clerk must call in and get a background check on you, but it is usually fairly simple. In Switzerland, the process can take a couple of weeks, and you won’t find out if you are eligible to purchase a gun until the process is over. In the United States, a person can purchase a weapon online, and there is no need to have a background check then. The person will simply go online, find the gun they want, and buy it, and and gun while be sent to them later. That is not allowed in this Swiss country; the same process has to take place. One must be eighteen years old, not under a supervision order, there must not be any cause to assume that the weapon will be used to harm yourself or others, and the person cannot have a criminal record of any sort. When applying to purchase a gun, a application (almost like a job resume), has to be sent in with a criminal record certificate and a copy of the person’s photo identification card. There also can’t be any history of mental