The news coming out of the United States in the last few weeks have been horrifying. In the last two months alone, there have been two Mass Shootings in schools, one in Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Valentines' Day this year, and another in Marshall County High School in Benton, Kentucky on January 23.
Back in October, a Las Vegas musical event at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino was bombarded with gunfire, resulting in 58 deaths and over 500 injured.
With the seemingly endless barrage of gun crimes in the United States, many are left to wonder just why the government is taking little to no steps to prevent this occurrence from happening again and again.
Contrary to what's happening in other countries, the U.S. is lagging behind when it comes to restrictive gun laws, mostly because authorities still believe that it's every citizen's right to bear arms. Powerful and developed countries such as Japan have actually solved a problem that the U.S. seems to refuse to address. Here are three reasons why Japan has almost zero Gun Violence crimes.
1) Gun carrying laws were implemented following WWII
A report by Business Insider revealed just how much Japan changed following World War II. According to the report, Japanese police only began arming themselves in 1946 and in 1958. They passed a law prohibiting individuals from possessing one or more Firearms, or one or more swords. The law has since then changed to allow for people to own firearms, but Japan made sure to have rigid guidelines in doing so.
2) Japan as a people do not believe in violence and war.
According to ATTV's video on Facebook, which has now earned over 5 million views, the Japanese as a people believe that violence and war are bad for their country, which is why they take on efforts to prevent it.
In fact, their laws about gun ownership revolve around the premise that "guns should not have a role in civilian society." It is so much so, that even the police are not armed with deadly weapons and are instead, trained in martial arts.
3) Japan has a complex process for obtaining and owning firearms
Japan's success in keeping firearms away from civilians and mentally disturbed people is also linked to the process in which they allow civilians to obtain such weapons. According to the BBC, the process involves attending a class for an entire day, after which attendees will have to take a written examination and pass it with a score of at least 95 percent. They will also have to undergo mental health and drug tests to ensure their mental and physical well being.
They even go as far as doing background checks on an applicant's family members.
There is a lot to learn from Japan when it comes to battling gun violence. As a nation, they respond to violence with non-violence, as journalist Anthony Berteaux recounted to BBC. It seems that it's something the U.S. has yet to learn.