Questions about how Australian gun law changes have played out

[Ken Burch]

Some staunchly pro-gun people I know have brought up some changes made in Australian gun laws a few years ago, and claimed that those changes have had horrible unintentional consequences.

They've claimed that the changes caused increased rates of violent crimes and, apparently, an increase in home invasions due to restrictions on using weapons to defend your home from break-in attempts, and even claimed that people have been convicted for murder simply for using guns in a home invasion situation.

I don't know what the actual story is there, and realize that what these people may be responding to is NRA propaganda about your country.

Therefore, I'm asking you what the reality is about Australia and guns.

Could any Australian Du'ers reading this either send me links about this, or share what you know about this set of issues?

[brush]

1. There haven't been anymore mass shootings since the Port Arthur massacre in the '90s.

Following the mass shooting, the Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, introduced strict gun control laws within Australia and formulated the National Firearms Programme Implementation Act 1996, restricting the private ownership of semi-automatic rifles, semi-automatic shotguns and pump-action shotguns as well as introducing uniform firearms licensing. It was implemented with bipartisan support by the Commonwealth, states and territories.

Since then only a domestic violence incident with 4 killed has happened so Australia's action worked.

There is no real excuse for it not to be tried here except for the resistance of the NRA and gun humpers.

[sheshe2]

3. This.

NRA gun humpers.

[sheshe2]

2. There is google.

Care to link to the issues/stats that your friends claim, Ken?

I’ve covered gun violence for years. The solutions aren’t a big mystery.
America can prevent shootings. But it has to come to grips with the problem.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/2/21/17028930/gun-violence-us-statistics-charts

"Some staunchly pro-gun people I know have brought up some changes made in Australian gun laws a few years ago, and claimed that those changes have had horrible unintentional consequences.

They've claimed that the changes caused increased rates of violent crimes and, apparently, an increase in home invasions due to restrictions on using weapons to defend your home from break-in attempts, and even claimed that people have been convicted for murder simply for using guns in a home invasion situation."

Gun Control in Australia, Updated


In 2009, we wrote an Ask FactCheck item for readers who wanted to know, “Did gun control in Australia lead to more murders there last year?” The answer at the time was “no,” and that’s still the case.

In fact, the most recent government report on crime trends in Australia says, “Homicide in Australia has declined over the last 25 years. The current homicide incidence rate is the lowest on record in the past 25 years.”

snip

In 2002, Australia further tightened gun laws, restricting the caliber, barrel length and capacity for sport shooting handguns.

Since 1996, the number and rate of homicides — defined as murder and manslaughter — has fallen. Below is the chart that appeared in our 2009 Ask FactCheck article, showing a 20 percent decline in homicides from 1996 to 2007.


How Australia Conquered Guns, and Why America Can't
https://www.citylab.com/life/2018/02/australia-ambassador-on-why-gun-laws-cant-save-america/553655/

After each mass shooting in the United States, many gun control advocates point to Australia, where a bipartisan coalition passed sweeping gun legislation that effectively ended mass shootings and dramatically reduced gun violence nationwide.

More than 20 years ago, Australia had its own mass shooting, a devastating massacre in which a man with a semi-automatic rifle opened fire at a tourist destination on the Tasmanian peninsula, killing 35 and injuring 23. Twelve days later, a conservative prime minister introduced the National Firearms Act, which banned the sale and importation of all automatic and semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, forced people to produce a legitimate reason for wanting to buy a weapon, and installed a 28-day waiting period. Perhaps most controversially, the law called for a massive mandatory gun buyback during which the government confiscated and destroyed 700,000 firearms, effectively reducing gun-owning households by half. The bill required bipartisan support, passed within six weeks, and is still reviewed every six months for any updates, to which all parties must agree before any changes can be made.

[Ken Burch]

4. sheshe2, I'm not AGREEING with what those people said. I wanted to be able to REFUTE their argument

My intent was simply to ask the Australians who post here what the actual story was. My theory was that THEY could offer the most accurate information.

I support gun control. Always have.

[sheshe2]

5. Got it. Okay.

I already knew that.

However if they are saying what you said, then they are gun humpers as you can see from my first link. They are just making shit up to protect their guns.

[Thyla]

6. In addition to the above

Snopes have a decent write up too.
https://www.snopes.com/crime/statistics/ausguns.asp

That said there may be a level of truth to the claims that people have at least been put on trial for killing home invaders, but in Australia our laws are different and you just can't expect to kill someone and call on self defense to get you off. ALthough it is complicated.

Another good write up about home invasions in Australia and how the law differs from the US.
https://theconversation.com/how-far-can-you-go-to-lawfully-protect-yourself-in-a-home-invasion-56900

But yeah, it is mostly nonsense claims. Pretty much all of the above is a non issue in Australia.

[Ken Burch]

7. That is EXACTLY what I was looking for.

That letter from the "Ed Chenel, a police officer in Australia" is probably the source of the claims I've been hearing.

[Thyla]

8. Glad I could help.

Good links tend to get buried at times like this but I would say that is the whole starting point, I can't say if EDd Chenel is legit but I guess it doesn't matter a whole lot at this point.