Self-defence sales are rocketing around the world because of crime, terrorism and the threat of war… here’s the biggest selling weapon by country
Global tension about North Korean nukes, Russian aggression, terrorism, global warming and even Brexit triggering unrest and extreme shortages has seen a rise in the sales of guns, pepper sprays, Tasers, and other less-than-lethal alternatives across the globe
ORDINARY people across the world are so scared of crime, terrorism and the collapse of society they have started investing in weapons to protect themselves and their families.
A few years ago many of them would have been derided as paranoid "preppers" - people stockpiling guns and long-life food in order to survive after a nuclear war or other world-ending event.
But global tension about North Korean nukes, Russian aggression, terrorism, global warming and even Brexit triggering unrest and extreme shortages has seen a rise in the sales of guns, pepper sprays, Tasers, and other less-than-lethal alternatives across the globe.
But what are the weapons each country turns to in a crisis?
UK
The UK has some of the strictest gun and weapon control laws in the world - and as a result violent crime has been dropping for decades.
Non-lethal weapons like Tasers and pepper sprays sold in other parts of Europe are prohibited in Britain.
Even carrying a knife (except one with a folding blade and less than three inches long) without a good reason is illegal.
However, there are certain sporting weapons it is not illegal to own - including bows and crossbows - and survivalist shops in the UK report more and more people are buying them.
Rape alarms are believed to be the biggest-selling self defence "weapon" in the UK.
Self-defence anti-attack sprays are also becoming more and more popular. They act in a similar way to pepper sprays but instead of an illegal noxious substance contain a non-irritant dye that stains, blinds and disorients an attacker.
Germany
Since the November 2015 Paris attacks, demand for knives, imitation pistols that fire blanks, stun guns, CS gas and pepper spray was so high that in some German cities, they were temporarily sold out.
Stun gun manufacturer Bretislav Kostal told CNBC that demand began skyrocketing after the terror attack and the company delivered a total of 25,000 for the German market in 2015 - 15,000 of those in the last four months of the year.
"Our production capacity was 3,000 pieces a month. Now, we've been working to increase it to 4,000 a month," Kostal said at the time.
The "weapons boom" was sparked by a mixture of fear of terrorist attacks, burglaries and vandalism, German Police Union (DPoLG) chief Rainer Wendt told .
Stun guns are cleared for sale only in a few other European countries, including the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, France and Italy.
USA
Last year was the biggest year ever for gun sales and it looks like 2017 will surpass it.
Sales this year were expected to drop because gun-lover Donald Trump beat anti-gun Hillary Clinton in the election.
It is believed that concerns about terrorism and a greater number of concealed-carry permits - perhaps sparked by shootings like the one that killed 58 people in Las Vegas - are behind the rise.
The FBI revealed that 12,601,102 gun background checks - a good way of estimating gun sales - had already taken place by July.
Sales of non-lethal weapons, particularly pepper sprays, also rose this year, according to industry analysts.
Although it has half the population of the other 22 "rich" nations combined, the US had 82% of all gun deaths, 90% of all women killed by guns, 91% percent of children under 14 and 92% of young people between the ages 15 and 24 killed by guns.
Russia
Russia has fairly liberal gun laws. Rifles and shotguns may be acquired for self-defence, hunting, or sports activities. Handguns and automatic weapons are generally prohibited.
According to GunPolicy, the estimated total number of guns legally held by civilians in Russia is 5,000,000. The vast majority are shotguns.
China
China has strict weapon laws - even knives were tightly regulated after a spree of high-profile stabbings.
But that has not prevented some legally murky devices from being sold online, including a flame-thrower that can hurl a stream of fire half a metre long.
The device is marketed as an "anti-pervert weapon" carried by women and cost between £10 and £30.
One seller boasted to Chinese media that the 1,800C weapons can "scald or even disfigure an attacker".
Japan
In 2008, the US had over 12,000 firearm-related homicides - all of Japan experienced only 11. Incredibly in 2006 there were just two.
According to the Japan times, almost no civilians in Japan owns a gun.
Even the country's violent Yakuza organised crime gangs don't use guns very often as the penalties are so severe.
South Africa
The country has a very high rate of murders, assaults, rapes and other crimes compared to most countries and gun ownership is widespread.
GunPolicy.org estimates that there are six million guns in South Africa, roughly 12 for every 100 people.
The only prohibited small arms are burst-fire and fully automatic firearms, and weapons that have been "sawn-off" - or illegally shortened.
The law allows a citizen to possess four guns, subject to background checks and registration.
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