"About 10,000 murders are committed using firearms annually,[34] while an estimated 2.5 million crimes may be thwarted through civilian use of firearms annually.[35][36][37][38]"
"Killias' most extensive study, however, covering 21 countries, found no significant association between gun ownership rates and rates of homicide, suicide, robbery, or assault. Gun ownership rates appeared to affect weapon choice, but not the total number of people killed or victimized[57]"
Rich et al. likewise found that increased gun restrictions, while reducing suicide-by-gun, resulted in no net decline in suicides, because of substitution of other methods.[58] "Japan is often cited as another counter-example to Killias's assertion, as Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world[59] while private firearm ownership is almost non-existent."
The law restricted ownership of firearms to "...persons whose trustworthiness is not in question and who can show a need for a (gun) permit." As part of the law Jews were forbidden from the manufacturing of firearms and ammunition.[64]. On November 11, 1938, the Minister of the Interior, Wilhelm Frick, passed Regulations Against Jews' Possession of Weapons. This regulation effectively deprived all Jews of the right to possess firearms or other weapons.[65]
Other countries that were briefly democratic before becoming totalitarian, such as some countries of the former USSR (e.g., Belarus, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, etc.) and many African countries (e.g. Zimbabwe, Angola), all have (and had) restrictive gun laws[original research?]. In such countries as South Africa and Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia), the black majority was prevented from legally owning guns by the white minority, aiding in the establishment of white rule[citation needed].
Firearms-rights advocates also point to the example of Japan. During the early Middle Ages, there was a high percentage of weapons ownership within the general populace, and this hindered the Japanese Imperial government in establishing totalitarian control within the country.[need quote][66] The Japanese populace was eventually disarmed, and weapons ownership was strictly limited to the elite and their Samurai bodyguards.[66] Peasants, without any access to arms, were at the mercy of powerful warlords or raiding bandits.
Gun politics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia