MISSING PIECES - Inter-Parliamentary Union

THEME 1
• While women account for a substantial proportion of victims (especially
of intimate partner violence), they account for a relatively small
percentage of users. 10
• Guns often fall into the hands of young people, contributing to suicides,
interpersonal violence, and accidental deaths. 11 This is particularly concerning
as the World Health Organisation (WHO) reports an ‘alarming
increase’ in suicide among young people aged 15 to 25 years worldwide. 12
TABLE 1 REPORTED FIREARM HOMICIDE, SELECTED COUNTRIES 13
Country Year Population Firearm Homicides
Number Rate per 100,000
Australia 2003/4 20,264,082 53 0.24
Belarus 2002 10,293,011 38 0.38
Brazil 1998 188,078,227 25,663 14.38
Canada 2005 33,098,932 222 0.51
Colombia 2000 43,593,035 21,898 49.52
Ecuador 2000 13,547,510 1,321 10.16
Mexico 2002 107,449,525 2,606 2.58
South Africa 2000 44,187,637 10,854 24.22
United Kingdom 2004 60,609,153 32 0.13
United States 2003 298,444,215 11,599 4.0
Venezuela 2000 25,730,435 5,408 21.04
Some nations have high levels of civilian weapons possession and alarming
rates of gun violence. For example, the public in South Africa owns
six times as many guns as the police and military. 14 In Brazil, while the
number of legally registered firearms (including those privately held by
military and police personnel) is estimated at about seven million, the actual
number of guns in private hands is believed to be closer to 15.6 million. 15
These countries have among the highest firearms homicide rates in the
world (see Table 1).
A USEFUL FRAMEWORK: THE PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH
A key aim of exercising greater control over civilian possession is to reduce
the risks associated with gun misuse and to prevent death and injury. A
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