Stop!, or I'll......

"Stop!  Or I'll ..............."

The ending of this declaration depends upon the location of the person making the declaration!

As you travel through Scandinavia and Europe, you are expected to adhere to the rules of the country. While most countries have law-enforcement officers wearing side-arms, others do not. Norway is one of only three Western European countries lacking a fully armed police force. At the present time, only "beat police" officers in patrol cars have immediate access to weapons.
  By law, however, they have to remain unloaded and locked in a box in the car unless authorization is given.Some experts worry that arming police officers would only lead to an escalation of violence as criminals become armed. However, there was little that Norwegian police could do when faced by a heavily-armed gunman, who killed 77 in the August, 2012 massacre, swaying public opinion on the "unarmed" policy.

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Norway has a large population of hunters. Semi-automatic and bolt action rifles, as well as shotguns, make up the better part of the guns in civilian homes. There is a total ban on automatic weapons for civilians, unless they fall into the collector category. Modification of semi-automatic guns into fully automatic without the consent of the police is a felony crime.

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 Norway's neighbor, Sweden, began requiring its officers to carry guns in 1965.In one incident, numerous shots were fired by Swedish police after  robbers opened fire towards them during a jewelry heist in Södertälje, Sweden. Two plain-clothed policemen were the first to arrive to the scene 3 minutes after the first 112-call was received When the  robbers, armed with  automatic weapons opened fire on officers, the  robbers were immediately shot and subdued by the armed police.

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 Other incidences require less violent reaction. No one was arrested during an  incident in Vallsta, 180 miles north of Stockholm this Christmas season. Police in Sweden had to intervene after a  visitor to a spa and conference center grew angry because a visiting Santa Claus was wearing a gray instead of red costume. Police said, in a brief statement, that the foreign guest grew agitated over the Santa outfit and argued with the center's staff. They did not say where the foreigner was from, and no armed action was reported.

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 In Iceland all hand guns are banned. Buyers have to be 20 years old to be able to buy and use a rifle or shotgun. Each year, it is necessary to enter a lottery that determines if you get a hunting permit that year.
Icelanders mainly hunt for reindeer and ptarmigan.

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In Denmark,hand guns are also banned unless you are licensed, and you can only get that license if you compete in tournaments, and the guns have to be kept in a safe at the club where you practice.
In order to get a permit to own a rifle, the buyer is required to participate in a course that takes 3 months to complete.

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Switzerland practices universal conscription for their armed forces, which requires that all able-bodied male citizens keep fully automatic firearms at home in case of a call-up. Every male between the ages of 20 and 34 is considered a candidate for conscription into the military. During their enrollment in the armed forces, these men are required to keep their government-issued selective fire combat rifles and semi-automatic handguns in their homes.

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Here, in the United States, a  United Nations report states that the US ranks number one in civilian ownership of firearms. The debate over gun ownership has become an important issue due to several individuals entering public buildings with assault weapons, killing defenseless school-students and movie-goers. Gun-owners defend their right to own weapons based on the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, which reads in part: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, and the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed. This has remained unchanged since the adoption of the constitution in 1791, and is well-supported by The National Rifle  Association (NRA) and it's members. Currently, the US President has issued several official orders to re-instate an assault weapon ban that expired in 2004, while establishing stricter rules closing some loopholes in gun-sale policy.

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Of high priority is the ban of the favorite AK-47, a Russian-made military weapon that is so popular and simple to operate, that sources have noted that children can be taught to use this weapon in a single hour.

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In this January 10, 2013 report: "U.S. life expectancy is lowest among wealthy nations due to disease, and violence. Not only do Americans live shorter lives than people in other wealthy nations, but they suffer more violent deaths compared to their peer countries, according to a report released Wednesday by two of the nation's leading health research institutions".

The debate rages on.