9 Other countries' severe limits on firearms ownership have reduced murder, suicide, and crime rates. European suicide rates are much higher than U.S. suicide rates. If homicide and suicide rates are combined, the U.S. is still below the median of 18 major nations. Swiss law requires licensing of all handguns. Swiss government routinely lends handguns to millions of civilians, however.
Swiss law allows widespread carrying of handguns.
Handguns are widely available. 14 Fully-automatic weapons are so dangerous that enlightened governments entirely ban private possession of them. The greater the availability of handguns, the higher will be the homicide rates. Statistics showing that as the number of handguns increased in the U.S., the homicide rates also consistently increased. Fewer homicides were committed with firearms in 1988 than in 1973.