Australian Crime and Gun Control
Crime statistics show that for this century homicides increased, but those that were firearm related by percentage declined especially in relation to the 80's. Suicides rose at a considerably higher rate, yet the percentage that were firearm related declined. Accidents by firearm are at their lowest levels in 1995 and overall firearm related deaths are much lower than 1980's. So, you might wonder why the big push to ban guns....it was the Port Arthur Massacre in April of 1996, 35 dead by an impaired man wielding an AR-15 semi-auto rifle.
"When police later released the information that Bryant had purchased the "military style"
weapons used in the attack, from a Hobart gun dealer without any form of licensing, it
resulted in an uproar. Virtually overnight, large numbers of private citizens called
newspapers, television stations and talk-back radio shows demanding that Australia's
disparate gun laws be urgently reappraised. Within days, many politicians added their
support and met to discuss a new set of national gun laws including a total ban on all
semi-automatic weapons.
In response, representatives of several prominent pro-gun lobby groups protested
against the sweeping changes, citing that the laws would only serve to place restrictions
on decent, law-abiding citizens and not the "lunatic fringe" that procured their firearms
illegally.
Although much of the blame for Port Arthur was centered on the availability of guns
used in violent crimes, Australia's homicide statistics prove otherwise. Tasmania,
Martin Bryant's home state, has the lowest murder rate in the country with just 0.85
murders per 100,000 population, a rate far lower than Japan which has some of the
strictest gun laws in the world. According to the Australian Institute of Criminology,
fists, knives and blunt instruments are the most frequently used weapons in homicides,
with guns accounting for just 25%.
Despite numerous protests, Prime Minister John Howard later implemented sweeping
reforms regarding gun ownership in Australia which included bans on the importation
and sale of most "military style" semi-automatic weapons." crimelibrary.com
aic.gov.au
BTW there are conspiracy theories that Bryant was not the killer. Just put Port Arthur Massacre in a google.com search if you are curious. |
