How easy is it to buy the San Bernardino arsenal around the world?

The tragedy in San Bernardino has focused attention once again on firearm legislation. All four weapons used by the attackers (two semi-automatic rifles and two handguns) had been legally purchased, although only the handguns had been bought by the killers themselves.

How easy would it be to purchase the same arsenal elsewhere in the world? 

Switzerland is often seen as having some of the most permissive gun legislation in the developed world outside the US: in 2007, the Small Arms Survey estimated that the Swiss had the third highest number of firearms per capita in the world after the US and Yemen — although still far behind the United States. According to Peter Reynolds, the head of the Swiss Fifty Calibre Shooters Club, that stems from Swiss culture.

Weapons for the Swiss are a way of life, but not a right, he believes. Those seeking to purchase their first handgun generally expect to undergo a long process of police background checks and mental health assessments. Even when there is no major obstacle, the paperwork can sometimes take up to a year. Both automatic and semi-automatic rifles are legal to own, but these kind of weapons are only accesssible to gun owners with an existing record of gun maintenance and safety. 

Reynolds says this system stems from a familiar idea from the US gun debate: "Guns don't kill people, people kill people — so the Swiss believe you need to check a person very thoroughly before you let them have a gun," he says. "If the person is OK — then the gun is harmless. So they check." 

Probably the most restrictive firearms legislation for civilians in the developed world is in Japan, where handguns and assault-style rifles are all but impossible for civilians to own.

But the United Kingdom comes close. Andrew Mercer is the Secretary General of Britain’s own National Rifle Assocation, a largely non-political body. He was able to quickly answer the question of whether San Bernardino weapons could have been purchased in Britain:

"The simple answer is you can't, as a civilian shooter. Military style [rifles] of that nature are not available, and handguns are pretty exclusively banned as well."

It is possible to own shotguns for hunting, some single shot rifles and low-calibre .22 firearms, but the rules for acquiring a permit are far more restrictive than in Switzerland.

As well as police and medical background checks, an applicant needs to prove that they have a genuine need for a firearm and that they have a the means to keep it secure. That is then followed up with regular checks over subsequent years.