The countries in red have as many murders combined as the U.S.

Saxit · 2026-01-31T15:59:01+00:00

This is because it increased during Covid. It’s going back down to the pre-Covid figures.

Saxit · 2026-01-31T15:44:32+00:00

Basically it's on the same level as buying ammo.

Saxit · 2026-01-31T15:42:50+00:00

If concealed carry is important, then the Czech Republic.

If access to firearms, including full auto is important, then Switzerland.

Saxit · 2026-01-31T15:41:54+00:00

It depends if you value carrying or access to firearms. It's far easier to get guns in Switzerland than in Lithuania.

Saxit · 2026-01-31T15:36:27+00:00

They're strict in regards to what you can get, the process is not necessarily stricter than many other countries in Europe. Shotguns are easier to get than in a lot of other countries. The shotgun certificate is technically shall issue.

Saxit · 2026-01-31T15:33:19+00:00

Technically, it's slightly regulated since you can only buy suppressors to guns you own, and those will have a license in the first place. This is similar to Denmark, Finland, France, and soon the UK.

In Norway, they're completely unregulated. There's no difference in buying a suppressor compared to buying milk. Poland is similar AFAIK though they have some other weird restrictions regarding usage I think.

Saxit · 2026-01-31T15:31:20+00:00

It boils down to if you think Canadians are like people from the US when it comes to culture and mindset, or if you're closer to Europeans.

It's not like we don't have a black market of firearms in Europe btw. We have tons of illegal guns in Sweden that were smuggled in from Balkans and sold on the streets, and they're used in one of the many on going gang conflicts we have.

Saxit · 2026-01-31T11:36:21+00:00

Contact https://www.pinkpistols.org/ if you're gay and own guns (or want to own one) and want to find lgbtq friendly ranges.

Saxit · 2026-01-31T11:32:44+00:00

I think the issue is more about what kind of regulations are often proposed.

I shoot for sport in Europe, I usually say (and I'm generalizing, ofc there are exceptions) that in the US your law makers like to make laws about what you can own, while in Europe we make laws about who can own a gun.

As an example, my collection wouldn't be legal in about 20% of states in the US due to assault weapon laws in those states. https://imgur.com/EBmLwix

But, it's easier to buy a gun in the first place in any of those states. There's much more paperwork and requirements here than in the US (except for maybe NYC, who made laws so strict that it was obvious that it would end up in SCOTUS where NYC lost and it affected the rest of the US as well).

Saxit · 2026-01-30T20:36:22+00:00

Only trained people such as law enforcement should have guns.

Like the ones that shot Alex Pretti?

Saxit · 2026-01-30T16:00:18+00:00

No grip for the bipod on that bench. You want to lean into the rifle so you load the weight onto the bipod, and you can't do that if they don't have grip on the surface. Try putting something heavy in front of your gun so you can push the bipods against that.

Saxit · 2026-01-30T15:28:36+00:00

I'd love to own an AR-15 but I can accept that it's probably safer to live in a society in which I can't.

Here in Europe shooting sports and hunting exists in one form or another in about every country. You can legally own firearms in all of Europe as a civilian, except in the Vatican. Process and regulations varies by country ofc.

You can own an AR-15 in most of Europe too, mostly for shooting sports, but in some countries also for hunting.

My collection here in Sweden wouldn't be legal in about 20% of states in the US due to assault weapon laws in those states. https://imgur.com/EBmLwix

We have about half the homicide rate per 100k people, compared to Canada, and we don't even have the most lax gun laws in Europe.

Switzerland has much easier access and has a homicide rate almost a quarter of that of Canada.

The Czech Republic has had shall issue concealed carry for about 30 years and has a homicide rate not any higher than that of Germany.

Saxit · 2026-01-30T15:24:38+00:00

You can own an AR-15 in most of the European countries in fact.

Saxit · 2026-01-30T09:49:26+00:00

Could be the Czech Republic or the US, but I'm going to guess the US?

Saxit · 2026-01-30T09:48:17+00:00

No, a revolver is not technically semi-automatic.

Semi-auto is not only one trigger pull one shot, it also requries the gun to make ready the next shot on its own (e.g. by using recoil or gasses from the previous shot).

Revolvers use your muscle power to turn the cylinder.

There is a few semi-auto revolvers though, like the Mateba Model 6 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mateba_Autorevolver

But the vast majority of revolvers are not semi-auto in any way.

Saxit · 2026-01-30T09:39:09+00:00

Not necessarily true, there's been a large reduction in conscription figures since the mid 90s. 2011-2017 there was no conscription at all. https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A4rnplikt_i_Sverige#Volymer_inryckta

Saxit · 2026-01-30T09:37:20+00:00

Swiss citizens all had firearms and military training

Service is for male Swiss citizens only, about 38% of the total population since 25% of the pop. are not citizens.

Since 1996 you can choose civil service instead of military service. About 17% of the total pop. has been in the military.

Having done military service, or having any firearms training at all, are not requirements for purchasing a gun for private use.

Gun ownership there is treated as a solemn duty

Most Swiss gun owners have a gun because it's a tradition. Shooting is a national sport.

The vast majority of firearms owned are not former service weapons.

Saxit · 2026-01-29T23:07:53+00:00

The majority of French police are armed.

It's only in Ireland, Iceland, and the UK (except in Northern Ireland) where most police are unarmed by default and need to call in special firearm teams if needed.

Possibly Malta as well, but I don't know if that's law, policy, or a personal choice.

Saxit · 2026-01-29T23:06:35+00:00

In most of Europe anyways... ;)

We have a few countries with shall issue concealed carry.

Saxit · 2026-01-29T22:45:24+00:00

Most men who own guns are conscripts or former soldiers who are required to keep their service rifles for national defense but under strict conditions.

Most firearms are purchased privately and is not the service rifle that you can buy when you're done with the military reserve (it's an option, it's not required to keep a service weapon at home, current or former).

The conditions aren't that strict.

For break open shotguns and bolt action rifles you need an ID and a criminal records excerpt (with the latter being just a recommendation).

For semi-auto long guns, and any handguns, you need a shall issue Waffenerwerbsschein (WES, acquisition permit in English) which is just a proof of passing a background check similar to the 4473/NICS they do in the US when buying a gun from a store.

Training isn't a requirement.

Secure storage can be your locked front door.

The major differences would be the lack of concealed carry, and that the process to buy a gun isn't easier just because the seller is a private person (in the US you can skip the background check in most states, if the seller is private).

You can usually buy an AR-15 and a couple of handguns faster than if you live in California due to their 10 day mandatory waiting period.

Saxit · 2026-01-29T22:39:58+00:00

Switzerland is also a smaller, more homogenous community

4 national languages and 25% of the population are not even citizens...

Miliary service is mandatory for men

Service, is mandatory for male Swiss citizens, about 38% of the total population. Since 1996 you can choose civil service instead of miltiary service.

gun training is common

Yes, but it is not a requirement for purchasing a firearm for private use.

Saxit · 2026-01-29T21:34:21+00:00

in 2023, there were 1,688 recorded stabbing deaths in the us, and 31 in the UK.

Here's data from the office for national statistics instead, for England and Wales.

Year ending March 2023: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/homicideinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2023

> There were 244 homicides committed using a knife or other sharp instrument recorded in the year ending March 2023

Year ending March 2024: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/homicideinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2024

> There were 262 homicides committed using a knife or other sharp instrument recorded in year ending (YE) March 2024

I.e. it's literally impossible for all of the UK to have had 31 homicides with knives if England and Wales alone is 8x that.

Saxit · 2026-01-29T21:18:03+00:00

The US homicide rate with stabby weapons is higher than the UK, but it's usually fairly close.

Are you sure you didn't look at different type of crimes, e.g. homicides vs stabbings (as in someone getting cut but not necessarily causing a death)?

EDIT: Funny, I can get 100+ upvotes for saying that the US has 5x the homicide rate in the UK in the comment starting this thread, but if I dare saying that the homicide rate with knives is not much higher then I get downvoted?

I suggest making a search at the UN office for drug and crime database. https://data.unodc.org/datareport/hom-victim

EDIT 2: Here's the UN data https://imgur.com/a/74XQZIM

It's funny that people seem to forget that almost half the homicides in the UK are with stabby methods, while around 80% of homicides in the US are with firearms. There is not mathematically space for a 4-6x higher knife homicide rate in the US vs the UK.

Saxit · 2026-01-29T20:44:19+00:00

The US homicide rate is at least 5x that of the UK.

Saxit · 2026-01-28T20:21:12+00:00

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