The idea of guns, especially civil firearm ownership, is an incredibly contentious issue, more so in some parts of the world than others. Generally speaking, there tends to be more disagreement over the legality of the situation – mostly, whether or not it should be legal and the terms surrounding gun ownership – in countries in which there are high instances of gun violence.
It only makes sense that these are the place where these discussions are being had more openly and more regularly. If it’s something that directly affects you and the people around you, you’re far more likely to have an opinion on the matter.
Now, there are some countries that are particularly well known for gun violence among civilians. This unfortunate fact leads directly to discussions around rules about having firearms in civilian hands. The United States, of course, is the first country that comes to mind for most people – and for good reason. Not only America known for having high instances of gun violence among civil society, school shootings especially, but these statistics are intrinsically linked to civil firearm ownership.
But other than the USA, what other countries have high rates of firearm ownership among civilians? Well, we’re going to look at the top 10 countries (in no particular order) with the most firearms in civil hands, including the USA.
1. United States of America
The United States has always had an incredibly high rate of civilian gun ownership, especially relative to other countries around the world. This includes a variety of different types of guns, including handguns, rifles, shotguns, and more.
Even though the country has devastatingly high incidences of gun violence, the right to bear arms is very much protected under the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, and this doesn’t seem likely to change any time soon.
2. Falkland Islands
A British Territory that lies in the Atlantic Ocean, the Falkland Islands has surprisingly high rates of civil gun ownership. In fact, on average, there are about 62 guns for every 100 people in the Falkland Islands which is incredibly high.
Civilians do need to have licenses and so forth to own guns, and even though there are incredibly high rates of gun ownership in the Falkland Islands, the number is still half that of civil gun ownership per capita in the United States.
3. Yemen
It’s a little easier to understand why Yemen has such high rates of civil gun ownership – owning a gun is seen as a right rather than a privilege. This means that civilians don’t need to have licenses or anything to legally own or carry a gun.
While numbers change every year, Yemen is regularly recorded as being second to the USA on this list, with about two guns per person.
4. New Caledonia
New Caledonia is another, potentially surprising, country to have super high rates of civilian gun ownership. The reason for this is normally accounted for by the fact that laws regulating gun ownership became far more relaxed around 2010. This led directly to a massive increase in gun sales across the country.
5. Serbia
Serbia is another country with shockingly high rates of civilian gun ownership, and the issue is a contentious one. However, the response to incidences of gun violence have been quite different to the US, with gun owners coming forward and surrendering their guns in protest to the lack of regulation. The high number of guns is often attributed to the weapons left behind after the Balkan Wars.
6. Montenegro
Montenegro has long had incredibly high numbers of civilian-owned guns, but much like in New Caledonia, there is a significant amount of disagreement with the relaxed gun laws and regulations. Indeed, the rate of civilian gun ownership has been steadily decreasing over recent years, even though it’s still incredibly high per capita (in comparison to other parts of the world).
7. Uruguay
The most armed country in all of Latin America, and one of the highest in the whole world, Uruguay actually has a lot of regulations around gun ownership. However, it’s possible to own “small” guns in a way that is quite different from many other countries.
8. Canada
Canada, the large neighbor of the United States (AKA the gun capital of the world), has high rates of civilian gun ownership – partially due to hunting and other sports.
However, these numbers are dropping due to a concerted effort by authorities and lawmakers – they’re intentionally trying to prevent the country from going in the same direction as the States. Of course, the high number of guns in Canada is due, largely, to the country’s proximity to the USA, with many guns moving over the border illegally.
9. Cyprus
Cyprus consistently ranks within the top 10 countries in the world in terms of civil gun ownership. The high amount of owners is generally attributed to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in the ‘70s during which civilians were handed military-grade rifles for defense purposes – a lot of these guns are the ones that continue to be counted.
10. Finland
Possession and carrying of firearms are highly regulated in Finland, but the rates of civil gun ownership are still astonishingly high. These regulations allow gun ownership for hunting or sport, and they’re actually incredibly strict.
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