The American gun control movement, including medical researchers and physicians, often cites the virtues of gun control laws in other democratic countries. Gun control advocates argue that these countries have strict gun control laws and little gun crime and that the United States should adopt similar policies. The foreign gun control situation, however, is more complex than American gun control advocates have assumed because there is no particular correlation between the severity of gun control and the prevalence of gun-related crime. Gun control in Japan, Switzerland, Great Britain, and Jamaica is discussed in terms of the effect of gun control laws on crime levels. Political influences on the issues of gun ownership and gun control are addressed, along with the public health campaign to outlaw guns. 6 references