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Law Library of Congress Studies on Firearms, Weapons, and Gun Control

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A search of legal reports produced by the Law Library of Congress has identified multiple reports on gun laws around the world. The reports date back to the early 1960s, reflecting the interest in the topics of “firearms” OR “weapons” OR “gun control” OR “weapons industry” by Law Library of Congress patrons over the years. As stated on our website,

The Law Library of Congress produces reports on foreign, comparative, and international law in response to requests from Members of Congress, Congressional staff and committees, the federal courts, executive branch agencies, and others… These include multinational reports, providing individual country surveys and comparative analysis, as well as reports dealing with the laws of particular countries.

Multinational Reports on Regulation of Firearms

Reports Covering Multiple Aspects Related to Firearms

Reports prepared by the Law Library of Congress staff over the years address a variety of issues in relation to gun rights and regulations in countries of varying constitutional frameworks, cultures and traditions, forms of government, as well as law enforcement powers and health care systems.

The most recent Law Library of Congress multinational report discussing Firearms-Control Legislation and Policy was published in February 2013. The report examines the different legal approaches taken by 18 countries and the European Union with regard to various activities involving firearms.

The 2013 report contains a comparative analysis and individual country surveys for Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, SingaporeSouth Africa, Spain, and Switzerland.

The individual surveys contained in the 2013 report cover relevant constitutional provisions, laws, regulations, and directives in addition to statistical and other information on gun control and licensing requirements. Many describe legislative history and trends, which in some cases were influenced by rising crime levels or incidents of mass shootings. The report further contains a bibliography of selected English-language materials.

A previous multinational report, Firearms Regulation: A Comparative Study of Selected Foreign Nations, was published in 1994. In addition to individual jurisdictional surveys, a summary is provided that includes data on rates of homicides with firearms, types of firearms prohibited for the general public, restrictions on granting permits for possession of firearms (commonly age, former criminal offenses, mental problems, alcohol, drug use, and safety tests), and maximum penalties for firearm offenses in the countries surveyed. The jurisdictions covered by the 1994 report are Australia, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, European Union, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Sweden, and Switzerland.

A 1981 Law Library of Congress report, Gun Control Laws in Foreign Countries, updates information on countries included in a similarly-titled report published in 1976, with additional countries, some of which no longer exist, together covering: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Burma, Canada, Chile, Czechoslovakia (which ceased to exist on December 31, 1992, and was succeeded by two new states: the Czech Republic and Slovakia), Egypt, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hong Kong (which returned to China on July 1, 1997, and currently constitutes a special administrative region of China), India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway ,Poland, Romania, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland and the USSR (which ceased to exist by December 1991 and was succeeded by the Russian Federation).

The earliest published multinational report on gun control legislation currently available on the Law Library of Congress website appears to be Handgun Laws in Foreign Countries, published in 1973. This report, which includes surveys of some of the countries reviewed in the later 1981 and 1976 publications, addresses relevant legislation that applied in 1973.

Reports on Specific Aspects of Firearms Regulation

The following multinational reports included in our collections may also be relevant in reviewing foreign countries’ laws related to firearms:

Mental Health Regulations and Licensing Restrictions (2013), surveys the mental health care systems in 14 jurisdictions, with special attention to mental health background check requirements for licenses for specific activities, including driving and owning firearms. The report includes individual jurisdictional surveys for: Argentina, Canada, China, England, European Union, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Russian Federation, and South Africa.

Regulation of Ammunition (1992), addresses access to ammunition under laws that applied in 1992 in China, Egypt, Germany, Iran, Japan, Thailand, and Turkey.

Government Inspection of Firearms to Assure Safety Features: Countries of the Far East (1965), provides information on the extent, if any, of the authority of government officials to inspect firearms under the laws governing in Japan, Korea, and Thailand in 1965.

Individual Country Reports on Regulation of Firearms

The Law Library of Congress’s collection of legal reports also contains multiple single-country reports on issues related to firearms. The following list is arranged by country and publication dates:

Australia: Storage of Assault Weapons And Ammunition (2013)

Brazil: Gun Control Under the Laws of Brazil (1968)

Canada: Gun Control in Canada (1994)

China: Possession of Fire Arms in Communist China (1962); Registration of Firearms in Communist Countries (1963); Gun Control Legislation of the People’s Republic of China (1971; 1973; 1981)

Colombia: Proposed Amnesty Program for Members of Illegal Armed Groups (2003)

Israel: Registration And Taxation of Guns Owned by U.S. Citizens in Israel (2007); Israel: Gun Control Legislation and Policy: a Synopsis (2012)

Japan: Law Controlling Firearms in Japan (1965; 1968); Japan: Gun Control Law and Statistics on Deaths by Firearms (1981)

Lebanon: Gun Laws of Lebanon (1976)

Malaysia: Gun Control (1971; 1973; 1976; 1980)

Mexico: Right to Bear Arms by Foreigners (2011)

North Korea: The Registration of Firearms in North Korea (1962, 1963)

Republic of KoreaRepublic of Korea Gun Control Laws (1997)

Singapore: Gun Control (1971; 1976);

Thailand: Gun Control (1971)

United States: Gun Ownership and the Supreme Court (2008)

Global Legal Monitor Articles

For updates on legislation and legal reforms in the area of firearms and gun control, you can read and subscribe to receive new articles on the topic of “firearms” in the Law Library’s Global Legal Monitor .

The Global Legal Monitor contains numerous articles on issues such as a Mexican amendment to let certain foreign government agents possess firearms while on duty (2015); Thai amendments designed to keep pace with developments in weapons technology and changes (2017); new criteria for possession and carrying of firearms in Israel (2017); national firearms amnesty in Australia (2017); and firearms buyback program in New Zealand (2019).

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Comments

  1. Who gives a Damn on-the Stupidity of other Countries and their “Gun Control Laws”?

    The only items matter and worthwhile are: United States: Gun Ownership and the Supreme Court (2008). Please go to URL: (District of Columbia v. Heller, No. 07-290 (June 26, 2008), available at http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/07pdf/07-290.pdf.)

    And much more important is: The Constitution of the united States of America has an Amendment, ratified on Dec., 15th 1791, which on that date became one in the same as the Organic National Constitution itself: “A well regulated militia being necessary to the [f]security of a free [f]State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms [f]shall not be infringed.”

    Enough said!

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