Firearms Culture, Legislation, and Violence in the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Australia

In the modern world, firearm violence has long been a major issue and source of contention. Since their invention, firearms have revolutionized the way in which people can inflict harm on others. While arguments are made for firearms as sources of protection, they are in essence tools for violence and destruction. The United States of America and the Commonwealth of Australia are two developed first-world countries that can be used for a comparative study of how differing cultural opinions and legislative policies can affect the prevalence of firearm violence. While both nations have origins of being British colonies that occupied lands inhabited by indigenous peoples, two drastically different cultural mindsets on firearms have arisen. Several interesting facts are relevant to be studied: 1) Though in the United States firearms are viewed as a right, in Australia they are viewed as a privilege; 2) Firearm regulations in Australia have developed to be more restrictive than those in the United States; 3) Rates of firearm violence in Australia are lower than those in the United States. Analysis and comparison of the available research shows that it is likely a combination of the cultural and following legislative differences that have led to the varying rates of violence. Unfortunately, additional research shows it is unlikely that mere legislative changes in the U.S. would not yield the same results as seen in Australia