Gun Violence and Gun Laws: U.S. vs. United Kingdom
This paper examines gun violence and firearms legislation in the United States and the United Kingdom, drawing on government statistics, news reports, and legislative sources. It surveys U.S. mass shooting data, the background check system, and the so-called "gun show loophole" that allows private sales without screening. It then contrasts American conditions with British homicide statistics, landmark UK gun-control legislation passed after the Hungerford and Dunblane massacres, and the rigorous licensing process that prospective gun owners in England, Scotland, and Wales must complete. The comparison highlights the dramatic gap in gun-death rates between the two countries and the role of lobbying — particularly the NRA — in shaping American gun policy.
- Introduction: Overview of U.S. and UK gun violence research
- Mass Shootings and Gun Violence in the U.S.: U.S. mass shooting data, NRA influence, and Senate failures
- How Difficult Is It to Get a Gun in the U.S.?: Background checks, gun shows, and the loophole problem
- Gun Violence and Shootings in the UK: UK homicide statistics and post-massacre legislative responses
- How Difficult Is It to Own a Gun in the UK?: Rigorous UK licensing process contrasted with U.S. access
- Conclusion: NRA power versus UK citizen-driven gun reform
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What makes this paper effective
- Uses a clear comparative structure — alternating between U.S. and UK evidence — that makes contrasts easy for the reader to follow without requiring a separate synthesis section.
- Grounds its argument in concrete statistics (mass shooting counts, homicide figures, licensed firearm totals) drawn from government sources such as the UK Home Office, which lends credibility.
- Illustrates abstract policy points with specific, well-known events (Sandy Hook, Dunblane, Aurora) that make the stakes tangible for a general audience.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates comparative policy analysis: it places two national regulatory frameworks side by side and uses quantitative data to measure outcomes, then attributes those outcomes to structural differences (the NRA's political influence vs. citizen-driven legislative reform). This method — evidence → comparison → causal inference — is a foundational move in political science and public policy writing.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a brief framing introduction, then develops its U.S. argument across two sections (violence statistics and gun-access procedures). It mirrors this pattern for the UK (violence statistics, landmark legislation, and licensing procedures), before a short conclusion that synthesizes the contrast. The parallel structure reinforces the comparative thesis throughout.
Introduction
Gun violence, gun registration, and mass shootings in the United States — and to a lesser extent in the United Kingdom — have caused authorities great concern over the past several years. These issues have received a great deal of media attention and are therefore worthy of research. This paper reviews gun violence in the U.S. and in the UK, and examines gun laws that are currently in place as well as those that arguably should be.
Mass Shootings and Gun Violence in the U.S.
In the United States, as of October 1, 2015, there had been 294 mass shootings — a mass shooting being defined as one in which four or more people were killed or injured by a gun — and 45 of those occurred at schools (BBC). Up to that same date, 9,956 people had been killed in gun incidents and 20,000 people injured in gun incidents (BBC).
During Obama's presidency, he attended memorial services — or met with families of the murdered and injured — in the wake of 15 mass shootings. The BBC also reports that during the course of Obama's second term, there were 994 mass shootings in America.
Following a college campus shooting in Oregon, Obama traveled to Roseburg to console the families of victims, and was met at the airport by several hundred angry residents who opposed his advocacy of stricter gun laws. Ironic as this boisterous protest was in light of the fact that nine community members had just recently been killed on a college campus in cold blood — and nine more were injured — it illustrates the power of the top gun lobby, the National Rifle Association (NRA).
"It is disgraceful that the families of the dead and wounded were subjected to such an insensitive display of pique" (Brattleboro Reformer). The editorial in the Vermont Brattleboro Reformer went on to point out the difficulty that Obama faced in getting reasonable gun safety measures through Congress. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting — in which 20 young children were shot at close range and 6 teachers killed — legislation to require background checks on gun buyers at gun shows and online received a majority of 54 votes, but needed 60 votes to override a filibuster launched by pro-NRA Republicans in the Senate (BR). Research on the 46 senators who voted against background checks shows that they received "eleven times more money from pro-gun interest groups than did the 54 senators who voted for it" (BR); therein lies the central problem with gun safety legislation — and the influence of money in politics — in the United States.
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