Many Americans don’t concern themselves too much with the gun control efforts of foreign nations, not even Canada. They note a few headlines and get a vague idea of what’s going on in those countries, but they don’t concern themselves too much with them.
That’s understandable. After all, their rules don’t impact us and, while the measures are usually some degree of ridiculous, they’re passed by those nations’ duly elected government. We don’t get a say.
However, regardless of whether our opinions should be heard in those nations or not, we still need to pay attention to those measures.
After all, what happens in Canada doesn’t stay in Canada. Or anywhere else.
Time and time again, anti-gun activists have cited gun control laws in Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand as evidence in and of itself that we should enact gun control hear. They argue that these nations have passed various regulations and use the typically low crime in these nations as evidence that these policies work.
Oh, sure, you can point out how violent crime in these nations are low regardless of weapon, which suggests there’s some other mechanism at work here, but that’s a different topic for a different day.
What matters, though, is that gun control laws in these countries don’t end abruptly at their national borders. It never has and it never will. New Zealand didn’t hit on the idea of an assault weapon ban in the wake of Christchurch all on their own. They’d seen Australia’s and England’s gun bans and ran with the idea. Proponents of the ban used the press from those nations’ anti-gun movements to bolster their claims, even though those claims are often complete BS.
While Americans have no say in gun control laws in other nations–just as they have no say in our gun control laws, though too few of their citizens seem to understand that–we would do well to keep a close eye on these proposals. We need to keep an eye on them because so many western nations are similar enough that gun control proponents might get ideas.
Sure, it’s unlikely that any American can pull off unilateral action like Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did. That doesn’t mean they won’t look at the regulatory framework available to come as close as they’d like.
It’s imperative that Americans voice our concerns over these other nations’ actions. Not only should our leaders learn quickly just how unpopular such actions would be, but it will give our brothers and sisters in these nations some much-needed support. They’ll know we have their backs, and while that might not change much in their nation, from what I’ve learned from some living in foreign lands, it’s helpful for them to know the Americans are with them.
So pay attention. Read up and learn what they’re doing. Learn how they’re doing it. Study how they’re permitted to get away with it. We all need that information because while it might be too late for them, it’s not too late for us.
