In the United States of America, gun violence is the leading cause of mortality in children. Just one month into 2026 and there have already been 1,108 gun related fatalities in the United States with 1,867 total injuries. While there was a 14% decrease in shootings throughout 2025, that still amounted to 14,651 deaths. What political measures have been taken towards gun violence prevention? How does this compare to regulations in other countries?
In 2025, states began to further regulate gun laws instead of the federal government. Restrictions, regulations, and vetting became stricter by states that felt there were not enough regulations in place to begin with. However, the federal government has taken the back seat while certain state governments try to prevent further loss.
In addition to lacking prominent initiative towards decreasing gun violence, another federal government shutdown is looming. This is due to disputes over funding for the Department of Homeland Security’s (D.H.S.) branch, Immigration Customs and Enforcement (I.C.E.). After the continued violent, often inaccurate detaining of American citizens, the lethal shootings of two Minneapolis citizens by I.C.E. has gained national attention.
Renee Good, an American citizen and mother of three, was shot and killed in her car by an I.C.E. agent after stating she was compliant. Alex Pretti, an American citizen and intensive care unit nurse was assaulted, shot and killed after recording agents. The killers of both Pretti and Good have yet to be indicted. This has caused political uproar in the United States as citizens become increasingly concerned for the safety of democracy.
D.H.S. funding and restrictions are now being debated in congress. This will most likely lead into another government shutdown just as a partial government shutdown ended on February 3rd (put in place in order to come to D.H.S, funding decisions).
According to the Australian Gun Safety Alliance, there have been 104 people killed in 13 mass shootings that stretched over an 18 year period. After the recent Bondi Beach shooting, targeting a Jewish event, the Australian government immediately began tightening gun restriction and regulations. On January 20th, just 37 days after the hate-crime, the Australian parliament successfully passed, “gun reform and anti-hate bills,” as stated by BBC.
Sweden, relatively low in mortality rates due to gun violence, has experienced a doubling in their rate of gun violence. From 2013 to 2024, fire-arm fatalities jumped from 25 to 45. Most of these mortalities are due to gang related violence. While these numbers remain relatively low, the steady increase remains concerning. In response, Sweden continues to tighten firearm restrictions and target gang leaders. International arrests have increased by about 202, and shooting have decreased by 60% since 2022. While progress remains visible, fatalities persist.
While Brazil maintains one of the higher statistics for gun violence and related fatalities, its numbers have been steadily decreasing since 2017. Brazil allows the ownership of firearms through its constitution and lack of specificity. While the Brazilian court mandates officer psychological evaluations and lays out regulation and classification for gun owners, the violence persists.
Gun violence continues globally, though, from 2016 to 2020, related deaths decreased from 3.9 to 2.7 million. From 2020 on, many of the leading countries in gun violence have seen steady decreases in number, though the fatalities remain intimidating. Gun violence is scary and sporadic, the best thing to do for self-safety is to be well informed of times and places that could be high risk during intimidating times.
Madeline Speights
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