It’s easy to attack and terrorize an unarmed population. Just ask the good citizens of Ukraine and Venezuela.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had an easy go of it invading the Crimea region of Ukraine. There was very little public resistance and bloodshed. And who could blame them? Masked Russian thugs were well armed and trained; the Ukrainian population was unarmed and defenseless.
According to GunPolicy.org (which is part of the Sydney School of Public Health at the University of Sydney in Australia), there are 1.29 licensed firearms owners per 100 people in Ukraine.
The country is considered “restrictive” with respect to gun ownership; only licensed gun owners may acquire or sell guns. And applicants for a license “are required to prove a genuine reason to possess a firearm,” according to GunPolicy.
Out of 178 countries, Ukraine is ranked 84 in its rate of privately owned firearms per 100 people. The estimated number of rifles in civilian hands is a meager 24,779, and there are 697,334 shotguns—and, of course, most of those weren’t even in the Crimea region.
Now compare Ukraine to the U.S., with an estimated gun ownership of 101 per 100 people. The estimated number of guns in civilian hands is: 110 million rifles; 86 million shotguns; and 114 million handguns.
A power-hungry dictator would have to think twice before sending troops into the face of 310 million guns.
Of course, Ukraine was a military invasion by an outside army, which is harder for average citizens to repel.
The largely unreported tragedy in Venezuela is different. A socialist thug is attacking and killing his own people for wanting the right to political expression and a free and fair vote.
Venezuela is ranked 59 in private gun ownership, with an estimated 10.7 firearms per 100 people.
However, GunPolicy says that people are only allowed to possess .22 caliber rifles and shotguns. Private possession of automatic or semi-automatic weapons or handguns is prohibited.
Vice President Joe Biden’s effort to convince the American people last year that a shotgun was much better protection than semi-automatic rifle probably won’t persuade the Venezuelan citizens who have had to run for cover from their own police and military.
There are reasons why Americans won’t give up their guns, and Ukraine and Venezuela are two of them. Widespread gun ownership doesn’t guarantee the population remains free, but a lack on them opens the door for repression.