Editing Gun control (section)

== Historical context ==
Countries always had some form of concern for armed civilians in history. In more recent years, calls for gun control grew as school shootings risen. High rates of gun mortality and injury are often cited as a primary impetus for gun control policies.<ref>{{cite web |last=Goldberg |first=Jeffrey |date=December 2012 |title=The Case for More Guns (and More Gun Control) |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/12/the-case-for-more-guns-and-more-gun-control/309161/ |access-date=31 March 2016 |website=The Atlantic}}</ref>

The United States has more guns per citizen than any other western country.<ref name=":0" /> In the United States, gun rights activists argue gun laws are too restrictive or should not be altered, and gun control activists argue gun laws are too permissive. Both camps center their arguments upon the legal and traditional interpretations of the [[Second Amendment]] to the [[Constitution of the United States|U.S. Constitution]]. Gun control measures include the [[Assault Weapons Ban of 2013|Now Defeated Assault Weapons Ban of 2013]], not to be confused with the older enacted [[Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994]] that prohibited manufacturing certain [[Semi-automatic firearm|semi-automatic firearms]] that were defined as assault weapons for civilian use.
[[File:2000- Gun sales and NICS firearm background checks - U.S.svg|thumb|upright=1.25 |U.S. gun sales have risen in the 21st century, peaking in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref name=Trace_20231231_FBI>● Gun sale data from {{cite news |last1=Brownlee |first1=Chip |title=Gun Violence by the Numbers in 2023 |url=https://www.thetrace.org/2023/12/data-gun-violence-deaths-america/ |work=The Trace |date=December 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240128065745/https://www.thetrace.org/2023/12/data-gun-violence-deaths-america/ |archive-date=January 28, 2024 |url-status=live }}<br>● NICS firearm check data downloaded via link at {{cite web |title=NICS Firearm Background Checks: Month/Year |url=https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/nics_firearm_checks_-_month_year.pdf |website=FBI.gov |publisher=Federal Bureau of Investigation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240129020051/https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/nics_firearm_checks_-_month_year.pdf |archive-date=January 29, 2024 |date=January 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> "NICS" is the FBI's National Instant Background Check System.]]
In 2007, a global supply of 875&nbsp;million small arms were estimated to be in the hands of civilians, law enforcement agencies, and national armed forces.{{efn|This figure excludes older, pre-automatic small arms from military and law enforcement stockpiles or 'craft-produced' civilian firearms.{{sfn|Karp|2007|p=39}}}}{{sfn|Karp|2007|p=39}} Of these firearms, 650&nbsp;million, or 75%, were estimated to be held by civilians.{{sfn|Karp|2007|p=39}} U.S. civilians account for 270&nbsp;million of this total.{{sfn|Karp|2007|p=39}} A further 200&nbsp;million are controlled by national military forces.{{sfn|Karp|2010|p=102|ps=}} Law enforcement agencies may have some 26&nbsp;million small arms.{{sfn|Karp|2010|p=102|ps=}} Non-state armed groups{{efn|Composed of 'insurgents and militias, including dormant and state-related groups'.{{sfn|Karp|2010|p=101|ps=}}}} have about 1.4&nbsp;million firearms.{{efn|However, as of 2009, active non-state armed groups, numbering about 285,000 combatants, control only about 350,000 small arms.{{sfn|Karp|2010|p=121|ps=}}}}{{sfn|Karp|2010|p=102|ps=}} Finally, gang members hold between 2 and 10&nbsp;million small arms.{{sfn|Karp|2010|p=102|ps=}} Together, the small arms arsenals of non-state armed groups and gangs have been estimated to account for, at most, 1.4% of the global total.{{sfn|Karp|2010|p=101|ps=}}

In Canada, The ''Canadian Criminal Code'', enacted in 1892, required individuals to have a permit to carry a pistol unless the owner had cause to fear assault or injury. [[Handgun]] registration became law in 1934, and [[automatic firearm]]s registration was added in 1951, then the Criminal Law Amendment Act, Then In 1977, Bill C-51 required firearms acquisition certificates (FACs) to purchase any firearm. 

On May 1, 2020, after [[2020 Nova Scotia attacks|deadly shootings]] in [[Nova Scotia]], [[Justin Trudeau|Justin Trudeau's]] Liberal government banned 1,500 kinds of [[Semi-automatic rifle|military-style semi-automatic rifles]], including the popular [[AR-15 style rifle|AR-15]] and its variants. The ban was enacted via an [[Order in Council|Order In Council]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Tasker |first=John Paul |date=May 1, 2020 |title=Trudeau announces ban on 1,500 types of 'assault-style' firearms – effective immediately |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-gun-control-measures-ban-1.5552131 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501160046/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-gun-control-measures-ban-1.5552131 |archive-date=2020-05-01 |access-date=May 2, 2020 |website=CBC}}</ref>

Then on October 21, 2022, under [[29th Canadian Ministry|Justin Trudeau's government]], Bill C-21 came into effect, aiming to address gun violence and strengthen gun control. The legislation introduced a national freeze on the sale, purchase, or transfer of handguns by individuals within Canada. It also established new "[[Red flag law|red flag]]" and "yellow flag" laws, allowing courts and [[Chief firearms officer|Chief Firearms Officers]] (CFOs) to issue emergency weapons prohibition orders and temporarily suspend licenses, respectively. Moreover, the bill increased maximum penalties for firearms-related offenses, including gun smuggling and gun trafficking, from 10 to 14 years imprisonment. Additionally, Bill C-21 prohibited mid-velocity 'replica' [[Air gun|airguns]] that closely resemble real firearms and discharge projectiles at a velocity between 366 and 500 feet per second.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Canada |first=Public Safety |date=2022-05-30 |title=A comprehensive strategy to address gun violence and strengthen gun laws in Canada |url=https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/cntrng-crm/frrms/c21-en.aspx |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=www.publicsafety.gc.ca}}</ref> <!--necessary?-->

In context of Australia, gun control laws were enacted in the [[Australia]]n state of [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] In 1988 and 1996. both times following [[mass shooting]]s, which lead to a big change in gun ownership legislation. This led to the [[National Firearms Agreement]] (NFA), 12 days after the killing. [[John Howard|John Howard,]] the [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime minister]] at the time, proposing  it said “We need to achieve a total prohibition on the ownership, possession, sale and importation of all [[Automatic firearm|automatic]] and [[Semi-automatic firearm|semi-automatic weapons]]. That will be the essence of the proposal... ". The National Firearms Agreement was agreed on and formed on the 10th of May 1996.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Buchanan |first=Kelly |url=https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/llglrd/2013417226/2013417226.pdf |title=Firearms Control Legislation & Policy |date=February 2013 |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |pages=16–37}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Special Firearms Meeting |url=https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/apmc/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524124358/https://www8.austlii.edu.au/au/other/apmc/ |archive-date=24 May 2023}}</ref>

For the case of [[Ireland]], Not all gun control is based on mass shootings or crime, they had reasons of ending [[The Troubles]] conflict and [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] (IRA) problems, for [[Firearms policy in the Republic of Ireland|enacting strict gun control measures]]. Because of The Troubles they enacted strict gun control measure after the 1990's and became the most strict gun control nation in Europe. As a means to end violent conflicts with [[Northern Ireland]] with issues of Protestant's and Catholics and the IRA  issues extending beyond the early 20th century [[Irish Civil War|Irish civil war]], They enacted gun control after the [[Good Friday Agreement]] to end the conflict and to potentially stop another.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 2025 |title=what you need to know about the troubles |url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-troubles |access-date=5 May 2025 |website=Imperial War Museums}}</ref><ref name=":3" />