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Firearm violence, gun control and small arms
Queensland Gun Crime Rising Despite Amnesty Finding 19,000 Guns
18 May 2013
Courier-Mail (Brisbane)
Gun crime including shootings, armed robberies, assaults and murder have continued unabated since Queensland launched a firearms amnesty.
Firearm offences remain a concern for police, who suspect the amnesty has identified only a fraction of the state's illegal weapons.
A final count has revealed almost 19,000 weapons were handed in during the three-month amnesty, which finished at the end of last month - double the last Queensland amnesty of 2004, when 9500 weapons... (GunPolicy.org)
Tasmania Police Deny Gun Registry Breach Claims After Thefts
17 May 2013
Mercury (Hobart)
An East Coast woman robbed of thousands of dollars worth of guns from her remote property soon after the weapons were registered is calling for answers from Police Commissioner Darren Hine.
The woman, who did not wish to be named, said she had written to Mr Hine calling for an investigation into long-held community suspicions that the state's firearm registry and associated databases have been breached.
Tasmania Police has repeatedly denied that the firearms database... (GunPolicy.org)
Over 550 Kilos of Ammunition Surrendered in Australia for Destruction
8 May 2013
My Sunshine Coast (Australia), Media release
Queenslanders have surrendered more than 556 kilograms of sporting small arms ammunition during the first quarter of 2013.
Natural Resources and Mines Minister Andrew Cripps visited the Queensland Government explosives reserve at Helidon today to view the disposal of part of a large cache of unwanted ammunition handed in across the State.
"On average, approximately 500,000 rounds of sporting small arms ammunition is surrendered each year by the public as part of an... (GunPolicy.org)
Opinion: Easing Gun Rules Ignores the Pain of Those Grieving
26 April 2013
Sydney Morning Herald, Opinion
This Sunday marks the 17th anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, where 35 people were killed and 18 wounded by a lone gunman brandishing high-powered longarms.
In response to the killings, Australia's gun laws were significantly tightened. The prime minister at the time, John Howard, was able to gain bipartisan support from all state governments for a 10-point plan to regulate firearms - known as the 1996 Nationwide Agreement on Firearms.
This agreement... (GunPolicy.org)
PNG Authorities Worried About Arms Smuggling
18 April 2013
Pacific Islands News Association (Fiji)
The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC), Australian Federal Police and PNG Customs are very concerned about the high number of illegal firearms entering the country.
Former senior police officer Chief Superintendent Donald Yamasombi made this comment following a joint Police and Customs bust of a huge quantity of firearms, gun powder and accessories late last year.
Yamasombi said despite the bust involving a large quantity of illegal firearms, prominent... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Police Investigate Criminals Stealing Guns from Farmers
12 April 2013
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
A police sting has uncovered a criminal network stealing guns from farmers.
The Herald Sun has been told Taskforce Griffin, set up in February, is probing a breakout in gun crime.
More than 100 firearms have been stolen in 41 burglaries, and there have been aggravated burglaries and two non-fatal shootings.
Detective Inspector Adrian Dalzotto, of the armed crime taskforce, said there were concerns the stolen guns, in particular the handguns, might have been sold on... (GunPolicy.org)
Printable Firearms a 'Grave Threat' to Australians
3 April 2013
News.com.au
Anti-gun activists are urging action to shutdown a controversial project to produce fully printable firearms and threat "to put a gun in the hands of every citizen".
Defense Distributed is behind the operation to manufacture the world's first fully printable, mostly plastic gun using basic three-dimensional printers which today cost as little as $1000.
The American company began testing its printed parts for a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle in December and have so far... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia's Gun Controls a Political Template for US
3 April 2013
Reuters
Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard wore a bullet proof vest under his suit when he addressed an angry crowd of gun owners in 1996, telling them he was going to ban automatic and semi-automatic weapons for the safety of all Australians.
At other rallies, effigies of his deputy prime minister Tim Fischer were hanged by opponents of gun control.
The battle for gun control in Australia, after the country's worst massacre in which 35 people were shot dead, was... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Data Shows Spike in Illegal Gun Use in South Australia
24 March 2013
Advertiser (Adelaide)
Gun-toting criminals are more likely to use their gun to threaten someone now than they were five years ago, statistics show.
SA Police figures reveal there were 33 acts likely to endanger life involving a gun in 2011-12, compared with nine in 2007-08.
An act likely to endanger life with a firearm involves the firing of the gun in most cases, but the offence may also apply if a loaded gun is pointed at someone.
The Advertiser requested statistics from police for the... (GunPolicy.org)
Over 3500 Guns Collected, 700 Destroyed in Australian Amnesty
22 March 2013
Gladstone Observer (Australia)
More than 3500 firearms have been handed in as Queensland's gun amnesty reached the half-way mark.
Almost 700 have been surrendered for destruction with the remaining firearms registered.
The three-month amnesty, which ends on April 30, began as the government introduced new firearm laws involving mandatory jail terms, even a year for possessing an illegal firearm in a public place.
Police Minister Jack Dempsey is urging Queenslanders to take advantage of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Africa,Americas,Asia,Europe,Oceania,United States,Russia,Italy,Germany,Brazil,Switzerland,Israel,Austria,South Korea,Belgium,Spain,Turkey,Norway,Canada,United Kingdom,Australia,France,Pakistan,Yemen,Honduras,El Salvador,Jamaica
Fact and Figures: Global Trade in Small Arms
18 March 2013
al Jazeera
Diplomats from around the world have gathered at the UN for talks on an international arms trade treaty, in an effort to stop the sale of illegal conventional arms.
Similar talks held last July failed, mainly due to the objections of the US and Russia, the world's two largest arms exporters.
Al Jazeera has compiled a list of facts related to the global production and trading of small arms.
1. Authorised international transfers of small arms, light weapons, their... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun-Related Deaths: How Australia Stepped Off "The American Path"
12 March 2013
American College of Physicians - Annals of Internal Medicine
Australia and the United States share many characteristics. Both are English-speaking democracies of multicultural immigrants. The 2 nations have been allies for nearly a century. Australians and Americans consume similar diets of movies, video games, popular music, recreational drugs, and alcohol. Both have vast interiors, early histories of armed European settlers mistreating native populations, plenty of feral pests to shoot, and many firearm enthusiasts. Yet the 2... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: American College of Physicians - Annals of Internal Medicine
Australian Shooters Caught Drunk, On Drugs While Hunting
6 March 2013
Sydney Morning Herald
Licensed shooters have been caught with prohibited firearms, using drugs and alcohol, and trespassing on restricted land, official reports reveal, as the NSW government prepares to expand amateur hunting of feral animals into national parks.
Documents released under freedom of information laws describe almost a dozen examples of serious transgressions last year that were considered by the Game Council NSW, which is responsible for issuing hunting licences.
In one case... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Man Threatens Friends with Loaded, Unregistered Gun
28 February 2013
Geelong Advertiser
What began as a Norlane man's tantrum over his girlfriend's drinking ended yesterday in a six-month jail sentence on firearms offences.
Matthew McNamara, 36, of Moran Place, pleaded guilty in Geelong Magistrates' Court to charges of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and the insecure storage of both.
Police Prosecutor Leading Sen-Constable David Vanderpol said that, about 10pm on November 16, 2012, McNamara and his partner were at a... (GunPolicy.org)
New Australian Data Shows Most Gun, Knife Victims Know Killer
22 February 2013
Age (Melbourne)
Slain Victorians are four times more likely to have been killed as a result of domestic violence or by an acquaintance than under other circumstances, research from the Australian Institute of Criminology has revealed.
Knives and other sharp objects are the most often used weapons, with most offenders in domestic homicides being men who have killed female partners.
The findings have renewed calls for the Baillieu government to reinstate the $250,000 funding needed for... (GunPolicy.org)
Australians Offered Rewards for Gun Info After Shootings, Amnesty
21 February 2013
Advertiser (Adelaide)
Rewards of up to $10,000 will be offered for people who give South Australian police information that leads to major gun busts.
Premier Jay Weatherill announced the measure today in response to a spate of recent shootings - 17 since December 31.
He said the state could have confidence most of the shootings were not random but conceded more needed to be done to address the problem.
The gun bounty follows a recent amnesty encouraging people to hand in illegal guns.
Mr... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Norway,Australia
Former Australian PM on Gun Suicide Prevention, Mass Shootings
17 February 2013
CNN / Global Public Square, Transcript
Fareed Zakaria: On April 28, 1996, in Port Arthur, Australia, a man named Martin Bryant went on a killing rampage. In the first 15 seconds of his spree, Bryant killed 12 people and injured another 10, all with an AR-15 assault rifle. In the end, 35 people lie dead, men, women and children.
If his weapon of choice sounds familiar, it should. That's what Adam Lanza is believed to have used in the Newtown, Connecticut, massacre of 20 school children and six educators.
In... (GunPolicy.org)
Story of Last Australian Gun Massacre, Gun Control Now a Free E-book
14 February 2013
Sydney University Press, Book review
Over Our Dead Bodies: Port Arthur and Australia's fight for gun control
By Simon Chapman
Sydney University Press
The Port Arthur massacre on 28 April 1996, when 35 people were shot dead by Martin Bryant, transformed Australia's gun control debate. Public outrage drove politicians from all sides of politics to embrace gun control. Non-violent 'people power' galvanised government resolve to outlaw semi-automatic weapons, register all guns and tighten gun ownership... (GunPolicy.org)
Over 300 Guns Surrendered in Australian Amnesty
13 February 2013
Australian (Sydney)
More than 300 guns have been handed in since a firearms amnesty began in Queensland two weeks ago.
When the three month amnesty ends in May, anyone caught with illegal weapons will face the toughest gun laws in Australia.
Queensland Police Minister Jack Dempsey says so far 310 illegally owned guns have been handed in to be surrendered or registered.
He expects that number to surge as the amnesty nears its end.
"The message is simple - please obey the amnesty or... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Minister Confident of Arms Trade Treaty
8 February 2013
News.com.au / Australian Associated Press
Foreign Minister Bob Carr says he's confident Australia's seat on the UN Security Council will help push through a global arms trade treaty.
Speaking after giving the British High Commission's annual Magna Carta lecture in Sydney, Senator Carr said a push for the arms treaty at the UN would "come to a head next month".
"On the back of our credibility built up over the decades on cluster munitions I think that (an arms trade treaty) will be a discerning note in our... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Gun Crime Data Misused by US Pro-Gun Groups
5 February 2013
CNN / Global Public Square, Blog
I had a stark introduction to gun violence when I moved from Australia to Tucson, Arizona 12 years ago.
As I walked to my hotel room one evening, I passed some young people apparently holding a party in another room. They seemed mostly harmless, and I acknowledged them with a "g'day." A short time later, I heard a car pull up, followed by the sound of gunfire and screaming. The next morning I saw police tape and markers in the car park. There were bullet holes in a... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Enacts New Gun Trafficking Penalty, Plans National Register
5 February 2013
Ministry of Home Affairs (Australia), Media release
The House of Representatives today passed legislation to create a new aggravated offence for trafficking firearms which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, and to strengthen laws that target the unexplained wealth of criminals.
This is part of an important reform package that targets two key enablers of serious and organised crime – the money they make and the firearms they use.
"These laws will make the maximum penalty for trafficking in firearms the... (GunPolicy.org)
Criminal Groups May Be Targeting Australian Gun Dealers
1 February 2013
Geelong Advertiser
Armed Crime Taskforce detectives are appealing for help from anyone with information about an aggravated burglary at a licensed firearms dealer in Corio on New Year's Day.
Police said yesterday two armed men wearing balaclavas knocked on the door of the Matthews Rd property about 1.30am before forcing their way in and striking a 58-year-old man on the head.
The offenders dragged the man to a garage, from which they stole up to 20 firearms found in a safe.
The men... (GunPolicy.org)
Expert Clears Up 'Misrepresentations' of Australian Gun Data
31 January 2013
Courier-Mail (Brisbane)
With the debate raging in the US over firearms laws, several misperceptions are being aired in their media about guns and their relationship to crime in Australia.
Some misrepresentations are linked to reports and statistics published by the Australian Institute of Criminology.
Older data and findings from the early-2000s are being used to argue that the Howard government gun reforms had little effect on violent crime in Australia.
Australia is often cited in the US... (GunPolicy.org)
US Author: Australian Gun Deaths Fall After Ban, Buybacks
31 January 2013
PolitiFact
Author Stephen King once asked his publisher to pull one of his novels off the shelves.
Six people had died — in real life.
Four boys in 10 years brought guns to school. One killed a teacher and two students. Another shot five members of a prayer group, killing three. All four teenagers had read Rage, a book King wrote when he was a teen himself and published under another name.
King, in a blunt, impassioned essay, wrote that when he learned of the copycat crimes,... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Winemaker Pulls Out of US Gun Lobby Wine Club
25 January 2013
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
Leading wine company Yalumba has quickly distanced itself from the controversial US National Rifle Association after it was revealed it was one of 20 Australian producers sold on the group's wine club.
The privately owned Barossa Valley company will begin moves immediately to track how four of its wines made it onto the NRA's profit-making club, boss Robert Hill Smith said.
He did not want Yalumba associated with the the powerful pro-gun political lobby, even though... (GunPolicy.org)
US Author Attacks 'Propaganda-Savvy Gun-Pimps', Gun Culture
25 January 2013
Guardian (UK)
Stephen King has entranced millions with tales of dread but his latest volume will read like a horror only to the National Rifle Association and other gun-rights advocates. The best-selling author made an unexpected charge into the national debate on gun violence on Friday with a passionate, angry essay pleading for reform.
King, who owns three handguns, aimed the expletive-peppered polemic at fellow gun-owners, calling on them to support a ban on automatic and... (GunPolicy.org)
'Alarmingly Easy Access' to Guns Online Fuelling Australian Crime
23 January 2013
ABC News (Australia), Video
A former senior federal police officer has warned more needs to be done to combat the online trade of firearms as authorities in Sydney deal with a spate of shootings and street violence.
In the past three months alone there have been 25 separate shooting incidents in Sydney - last night, two shootings were reported in the city's south-west.
The style and purpose of the shootings are not confined to traditional turf warfare over drugs or ongoing reprisals between... (GunPolicy.org)
How the American Gun Lobby Abuses Australian Gun Crime Data
21 January 2013
Conversation (Australia)
The Sandy Hook massacre and President Obama's response to it has refocused attention on impact of regulation on American gun crime. Crime statistics before and after the implementation of gun laws provide a quantifiable measure of their impact. As a consequence, Australia's gun laws and their impact have become part of the American gun debate.
In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre and Monash University shootings, the conservative government of John Howard introduced... (GunPolicy.org)
Only 1% of Illegal Guns in Australia are Smuggled, says PM
19 January 2013
Sydney Morning Herald
The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, has hit back at claims by the Liberal Party that her government has failed at protecting Australia's borders from illegal gun imports, saying that only 1 per cent of those guns in Australia come from overseas.
Speaking to 2UE at its new studio in The Sydney Morning Herald office on Friday morning, Ms Gillard said that her government had 'more than doubled' the number of interceptions of illegal packages - that includes drugs and... (GunPolicy.org)
Former Australian PM on Passing Tough Gun Controls - NYT Op-Ed
16 January 2013
New York Times, Opinion
SYDNEY, Australia - It is for Americans and their elected representatives to determine the right response to President Obama's proposals on gun control. I wouldn't presume to lecture Americans on the subject. I can, however, describe what I, as prime minister of Australia, did to curb gun violence following a horrific massacre 17 years ago in the hope that it will contribute constructively to the debate in the United States.
I was elected prime minister in early 1996,... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Gun Death Rate Falls After Gun Buyback, Law Change Says MP
15 January 2013
Sydney Morning Herald, Opinion
Since the 1997 gun buyback, your chance of being a victim of gun violence has more than halved. Yet as Monday's Herald pointed out, the number of guns in Australia has increased by nearly one-fifth over the same period. What's going on?
The simplest answer is that the population is a fifth larger than it was in 1997. In reality, Australia has about as many guns per person as we did after the gun buyback. The only way to conclude the gun buyback has been undone is to... (GunPolicy.org)
Legal Gun Rate Up But Australian Police Say Problem is Illegal Guns
15 January 2013
Sydney Morning Herald
Police figures have revealed there are almost 790,000 registered firearms in NSW, but an average of five weapons are held by each licensed owner.
A University of Sydney study revealed this week that Australians now own as many guns as they did at the time of the Port Arthur massacre, despite more than 1 million firearms being handed in and destroyed nationally.
Philip Alpers, an adjunct associate professor at the university's school of public health, said the nation... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany,France,United States,England & Wales,Switzerland,Australia
Editorial: Three Million Guns In Australia is More Than Enough
15 January 2013
Sydney Morning Herald, Editorial
It should be troubling to Australian governments that since 1988, after more than 1 million guns have been destroyed as a result of government buyback programs, numerous amnesties, voluntary returns, the banning of semi-automatic weapons and the tightening of gun import controls, the number of guns in private hands in Australia is as large as it has ever been.
It's not hard to see why. Since 1988, while governments have been running
a variety of gun control programs,... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Re-Stocks Private Arsenal to Pre-Buyback Gun Numbers
13 January 2013
Sydney Morning Herald
Australians own as many guns now as they did at the time of the Port Arthur massacre, despite more than 1 million firearms being handed in and destroyed, new research reveals.
A University of Sydney study has shown there has been a steady increase in guns imported into the country over the past decade, with the number of privately owned guns now at the same level as 1996.
Estimates suggest there were 3.2 million firearms in Australia at the time of the Tasmanian... (GunPolicy.org)
Guatemala,El Salvador,Venezuela,United States,Australia,Jamaica,Russia,Colombia
NRA 'Good Guys With Guns' Theory Already Disproved in Latin America
5 January 2013
New York Times
In the wake of the tragic shooting deaths at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., last month, the National Rifle Association proposed that the best way to protect schoolchildren was to place a guard — a "good guy with a gun" — in every school, part of a so-called National School Shield Emergency Response Program.
Indeed, the N.R.A.'s solution to the expansion of gun violence in America has been generally to advocate for the more widespread deployment and... (GunPolicy.org)
US School Shooting a Watershed: Think Pearl Harbour, 9/11 – Wintemute
4 January 2013
Sacramento Bee (California)
Gun violence has not been far from our collective minds since the nation was shocked Dec. 14 by the shooting of 20 first-graders in Newtown, Conn. Now a New Year's Eve shootout in Old Sacramento has left two people dead and three wounded in our own community, bringing the issue of public violence closer to home.
Perhaps no one in the Sacramento region is better known for his research on gun violence than Dr. Garen Wintemute, who as director of the UC Davis Violence... (GunPolicy.org)
Experts Suggest US Can Learn From Australia's Post-Port Arthur Laws
30 December 2012
Sky News (UK)
When Martin Bryant massacred 35 people with semi-automatic weapons at a tourist spot in Tasmania in 1996, then-Australian prime minister John Howard reacted swiftly by pushing for tough new national gun laws.
Just 12 days after the shootings at Port Arthur, legislation was agreed which banned most people from owning rapid fire rifles and shotguns.
In a government buyback scheme more than 600,000 weapons were handed in and destroyed.
There have been no mass killings... (GunPolicy.org)
United Kingdom,Finland,Colombia,Mexico,Western Europe,Australia,Yemen,Canada,New Zealand,United States
On Guns and Gun Law, America an Outlier Among Developed Nations
20 December 2012
Huffington Post (USA)
How freely do guns flow in the United States compared with the world's other industrialized countries?
According to GunPolicy.org, run by Philip Alpers, a firearms analyst at The University of Sydney, the United States is unusual with what Alpers described as the "two pillars" of gun control: licensing gun owners and registering weapons.
"You are basically the only country in the developed world that doesn't license gun owners across the board and you are almost alone... (GunPolicy.org)
Govt Gun Advisory Body Stacked with Shooters, Other Views Excluded
20 December 2012
Sydney Morning Herald
The state government allowed a little-known committee stacked with representatives of the shooting and hunting fraternities to reject tighter gun controls proposed by police.
The Police Minister, Mike Gallacher, is using the 15-member Firearms Consultative Committee to steer the overhaul of the 2006 Firearms Act.
It includes the Shooters and Fishers MP Robert Borsak, who replaced colleague Robert Brown, and members of the NSW Shooting Association and the pro-shooting... (GunPolicy.org)
Without the Fear of Guns, Other Countries More Free than America
19 December 2012
ABC News (USA)
If there is one country that best represents the possibility of cutting gun crime by increasing gun control, it is Australia.
In 1996, 28-year-old Martin Bryant finished his lunch in a café in the seaside resort of Port Arthur and pulled out a semi-automatic rifle. In the first 15 seconds of his attack, he killed 12 and wounded 10. In all, he shot more than 50 people in six locations, killing 35. The worst mass shooting in Australia's history capped a violent decade... (GunPolicy.org)
Yemen,Norway,Switzerland,Canada,Germany,Spain,Finland,United States,United Kingdom,Australia
Homicides Down after Tougher Gun Laws Adopted Abroad
19 December 2012
Los Angeles Times
Twelve days after the worst mass murder in Australian history, when 35 people were shot to death at Tasmania state's Port Arthur tourist mecca in 1996, the government issued sweeping reforms of the country's gun laws. There hasn't been a mass shooting since, and suicides, deaths by firearms and robberies at gunpoint have plummeted.
The results of toughened gun rules in Britain after the massacre in the Scottish town of Dunblane that same year weren't so immediate or... (GunPolicy.org)
Norway,Switzerland,Finland,Germany,Canada,Australia,United Kingdom,United States
Around the World, Gun Massacres Spurred Gun Control, Public Safety
18 December 2012
ABC News (USA) / AP
If there's anywhere that understands the pain of Newtown, it's Dunblane, the town whose grief became a catalyst for changes to Britain's gun laws.
In March 1996, a 43-year-old man named Thomas Hamilton walked into a primary school in this central Scotland town of 8,000 people and shot to death 16 kindergarten-age children and their teacher with four legally held handguns. In the weeks that followed, people in the town formed the Snowdrop campaign — named for the... (GunPolicy.org)
Scotland,United States,United Kingdom,Australia,Japan
Several Countries Curbed Guns, Saw Public Safety Improve [Espanol]
18 December 2012
BBC News
[Translated summary: Three industrialised nations - Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom have dramatically reduced gun deaths after applying strict firearm laws.]
Tres naciones industrializadas -Japón, Australia y Escocia- han logrado reducir dramáticamente las muertes por armas de fuego tras aplicar estrictas leyes que regulan el porte y comercio de armas que podría servir de modelo en Estados Unidos cuando ese pueblo trata de reponerse de la matanza de niños y... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan,Scotland,Australia,United States
In Other Countries than the US, Laws Are Strict and Work
17 December 2012
New York Times, Editorial
Like other shootings before it, the Newtown, Conn., tragedy has reawakened America to its national fixation with firearms. No country in the world has more guns per capita, with some 300 million civilian firearms now in circulation, or nearly one for every adult.
Experts from the Harvard School of Public Health, using data from 26 developed countries, have shown that wherever there are more firearms, there are more homicides. In the case of the United States,... (GunPolicy.org)
One Leader of a Democracy Reversed His Nation's Gun Laws in 12 Days
17 December 2012
CNN, Opinion
Editor's note: Philip Alpers is Adjunct Associate Professor at the Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney. A policy analyst in the public health effects of gun violence and small arms proliferation, his web site GunPolicy.org compares armed violence and gun laws, country by country.
SYDNEY, Australia - Could the leader of a democracy reverse his nation's slide toward the ever more permissive use of firearms and mandate stringent new gun control laws in... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia's Gun Ownership Rate Rising Despite Shootings, Law Reform
17 December 2012
Sydney Morning Herald
Thirteen years after John Howard's historic gun reforms, a woman with a history of chronic paranoid schizophrenia walked out of the Sydney Pistol Club with one of its weapons, a .22 calibre Ruger semi-automatic pistol. Shamin Fernando, a probationary club member, used it to pump bullets into the head of her 70-year-old father, Vincent Lalin Fernando, in August 2010. He was her only target.
But gun control campaigners worry that there is nothing to stop a mass killer... (GunPolicy.org)
Thousands of Weapons, Guns Handed to Australia Police in State Amnesty
13 December 2012
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
Thousands of weapons including handguns, high-powered rifles and double-edged knives are off the streets after a two-month "no questions asked" statewide police amnesty.
A total of 2450 firearms and other weapons were handed in by the public without fear of legal reprisals. Bendigo topped the list of places with the most weapons handed in with 164, followed by Warrnambool with 87.
Licensing and Regulation Division Superintendent Russell Barrett said he was pleased 128... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Drew Glock on Australian Police, Had Failed Pistol Licence Inspection
4 December 2012
Australian (Sydney)
A man shot dead by police last year after allegedly pointing a Glock pistol at two men failed a firearm inspection on the same weapon just months earlier.
Under the Firearms Act, officers must seize weapons that haven't been stored properly, an inquest has been told.
Rodney Elkass, 37, allegedly pointed the pistol during a confrontation with two men in Castle Hill in northwestern Sydney on September 29 last year.
Minutes later, three plainclothed officers who spotted... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Authorities Suspect Navy Arms Thief had Inside Knowledge
30 November 2012
Age (Melbourne)
An armed intruder who breached national security, assaulted a sailor and stole weapons from a Darwin naval base appears to have an intimate knowledge of defence procedures, police say.
Fourteen weapons were stolen early on Friday morning when the assailant, wearing a balaclava and military clothing, boarded the Armidale-class patrol boat Bathurst, which was moored at HMAS Coonawarra near the city centre.
They overpowered a duty sailor before tying him up with cable... (GunPolicy.org)
Military Weapons Cache Stolen from Australian Navy Vessel
30 November 2012
Radio Netherlands
An intruder robbed an Australian navy vessel of a cache of weapons after overpowering military personnel on guard, the defence department said, in an unprecedented security breach.
The Australian Department of Defence said the infiltrator "overwhelmed a duty member onboard a patrol boat" which was moored at HMAS Coonawarra, a naval base in the northern city of Darwin.
"The intruder overpowered the duty member, accessed the vessel's armoury and removed a number of... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Plans New Gun Laws, Hotline to Combat Illegal Gun Availability
25 November 2012
Sunday Telegraph (Sydney)
A new national campaign targeting gun-toting criminals will be launched encouraging people to phone-in anonymous tip-offs about illegal guns.
The initiative, run by Crime Stoppers, will start next year. It is hoped the move will encourage people, who may be reluctant to speak to police, to come forward with information. The Australian Crime Commission has confirmed there are at least 250,000 illegal guns on the black market.
It's suspected most have been stolen from... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Govt Changes Gun Laws to Address Trafficking, Illegal Weapons
23 November 2012
Australian (Sydney)
The federal government is pressing ahead with plans to create new aggravated offences for trafficking firearms or gun parts across state and national borders.
Justice Minister Jason Clare on Friday announced he would introduce the legislation into federal parliament next week - the last sitting days of the year.
"These new offences will carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment," Mr Clare said in a statement.
"This will make the maximum penalty for trafficking in... (GunPolicy.org)
South Australia Firearm Amnesty Nets Over 2700 Guns
1 November 2012
West Australian (Perth)
More than 2700 illegal and unwanted weapons have been handed in during South Australia's most successful gun amnesty.
The government's three-month general firearms amnesty ended at midnight on Wednesday.
By the end of the amnesty, 168 handguns, 2420 Class A or B firearms and 105 Class C or D guns were taken to police stations across the state.
More than 77 weapons are yet to be identified and 13 fit into the prescribed category.
Attorney-General John Rau said 2783... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia, US Sign Trade Deal to Ease Weapons Transfers
30 October 2012
Yahoo! 7 News (Australia), Video
Australia and America will be able to exchange weapons and defence technology more easily after Australia passed new trade legislation. The changes apply to licences for arms exports and will facilitate weapons upgrades for the Australian Defence Force.
Link to video:... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Small Arms Factory Celebrates 100 Years on Gun Manufacture
26 October 2012
Defence Professionals (Bonn)
The Minister for Defence Materiel, The Hon. Jason Clare MP, has officially marked 100 years of Australian small arms manufacturing during a ceremony at the Thales Australia facility in Lithgow, NSW.
The Minister took the time to meet Thales employees, and also received a detailed briefing on the company's latest offering – the new F90 weapon.
Since 1912, .303, SLR and Austeyr rifles made at Lithgow have supported Australia's soldiers on countless operations around... (GunPolicy.org)
Authorities Close Down US - Australia Smuggling Route
19 October 2012
Sky News (Australia)
An illegal gun supply route between Nashville, Tennessee and Sydney has been shut down in a joint operation by Australian and US law enforcement officers.
Three men have been arrested in Nashville and more arrests were expected in Sydney, NSW Police and Australian Customs and Border Protection said on Friday.
Officers from the two services have been working with the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the US Drug Enforcement Administration for several... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Expert Says Legal Loophole Allowed Guns onto Black Market
15 October 2012
Australian (Sydney) / Courier-Mail (Brisbane)
A legal loophole in Queensland has allowed thousands of handguns to flood the black market, according to a leading criminologist.
Australian Institute of Criminology researcher Dr Samantha Bricknell also says theft, corrupt gun dealers, a grey market of missing weapons and the lack of a national firearms database have contributed to an estimated 260,000 guns circulating illegally in Australia.
In a report released earlier this year, Dr Bricknell said a loophole in... (GunPolicy.org)
Over 1200 Illegal Guns Handed in to South Australia Amnesty
17 September 2012
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
More than 1200 illegal and unwanted firearms have been surrendered to the state as part of SA's gun amnesty.
So far, 60 handguns, 1091 Class A or B firearms and 43 Class C or D guns have been delivered to various police stations across South Australia since the amnesty started on August 1.
More than 70 imitation weapons and seven prescribed firearms - including sawn-off rifles have also been handed in.
Attorney-General John Rau said the response had been overwhelming... (GunPolicy.org)
Singapore,Indonesia,Australia,Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea Police Arrest Man Over Alleged Gun Smuggling
14 September 2012
Pacific Islands News Association (Fiji) / Post Courier
A substantial amount of gun powder, live bullets, firearms and accessories were seized by the National Criminal Intelligence Unit (NCIU) of Lae police and Border Security officers in Lae recently.
The weapons and gun powder were confiscated following a police intelligence report of alleged gun smuggling into the country, and especially through the Lae port.
On Tuesday this week, police arrested an Indonesian man and charged him with four counts of unlawfully dealings... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Pacific Islands News Association (Fiji) / Post Courier
Questions about Australia's Licence Regime After Gun Imports Soar
9 September 2012
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
Firearms are flowing into Australia at more than double the rate of five years ago.
While the weapons are being legally imported, gun-control advocates are warning of a marked increase in the risk of shootings and other gun crimes - or even another massacre.
Customs figures show 85,035 handguns, rifles, shotguns, military firearms and air firearms were legally imported into Australia last year, up from 39,389 in 2006.
The popularity of handguns has soared, increasing... (GunPolicy.org)
Loaded Sub-Machine Gun Seized in $2.5m Australia Drug, Weapons Bust
4 September 2012
Adelaide Now
Police have uncovered a fully-loaded Uzi sub-machine gun in Adelaide as part of a major ice ring bust, in which more than $2.5 million in drugs and weapons were seized. …
It is the biggest drug bust this year.
The rare gun - which was found alongside other purpose-made weapons such as handguns and a sawn-off shotgun - is unusual in South Australia and police are concerned about its origins.
Two men and a woman have been arrested after six house raids - on August... (GunPolicy.org)
Melanesia,Papua New Guinea,Australia,Solomon Islands,New Caledonia,Oceania
Concern in Papua New Guinea Over Gun-Related Crime, Trafficking
3 September 2012
Inter Press Service News Agency
BRISBANE - In Papua New Guinea, the largest island nation in Melanesia in the southwest Pacific, where more than 60 percent of major crimes involve guns, a burgeoning illegal arms trade is associated with lack of employment growth and low human security, with vulnerable communities suffering the consequences.
This is the case in the autonomous region of Bougainville in the east of the country, where disarmament remains elusive more than ten years after a civil war... (GunPolicy.org)
Tonga Police Seize 'Vast' Weapons, Ammo Cache from MP's Home
30 August 2012
TVNZ (New Zealand)
A Tongan MP is facing charges after allegedly conspiring with a Colombian drug lord to export hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Tonga.
Lord Tu'ilakepa will face weapons, ammunition and drug exportation charges when he appears in a Tongan court in October.
Australian police allege Tu'ilakepa conspired with notorious South American drug lord Obeil Antonio Zuluaga Gomez to bring 690kg of cocaine from South America into Tonga by sea.
The drugs would have then been... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Police Union Opposes Pro-Gun Panel Advising on Law Change
27 August 2012
Brisbane Times (Queensland)
More people will die as a result of gun crime if the Newman government carries through on a plan to reduce red tape for gun owners, the Queensland Police Union says.
The stark warning came as Premier Campbell Newman sought to reassure the community, saying that while the government was examining the gun licence renewal process it would not relax ownership rules.
Firearms dealers, sporting shooters and hunters are represented on a new Newman government committee... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Authorities Seize Over 100 Guns from Melbourne Gangs
24 August 2012
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
A bikie has been arrested after allegedly threatening police during dozens of statewide raids, in which guns were seized.
A member of the outlaw Finks motorcycle gang was arrested for allegedly assaulting and threatening a policeman during a series of raids conducted yesterday.
The crack special operations group arrested the 44-year-old Melton man about 5am this morning.
Charges the man is set to face charges including assault police, hindering police, threats to... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,United Kingdom,Australia
Australian State Considers Gun Law Change, Allow Teens to Hunt Alone
14 August 2012
BBC News
A plan to change the law in Australia could see children as young as 12 hunting by themselves. Is that a sensible step or a dangerous one?
Condemned by some as a bloodthirsty move to impose a violent culture on children, authorities in Australia's most populous state are considering a plan to allow under-18s to hunt feral animals on their own with knives, dogs and bows and arrows.
The hunting lobby in New South Wales says the proposal will encourage more families to... (GunPolicy.org)
Targeted by Robbers, Sydney Pistol Club Member Loses 22 Handguns
8 August 2012
Sydney Morning Herald
A large cache of stolen handguns is circulating on Sydney's streets with police appealing for information about 22 stolen semi-automatic pistols.
Police today displayed a collection of guns similar to those stolen in a violent home robbery in Mount Druitt a month ago in the hope of urging people to look out for any "friends or associates who may have recently acquired handguns".
The guns were stolen by two men who ambushed a 30 year-old as he was entering his Hythe... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Gun Registry 'Not Accessed Illegally' Before Gun Thefts
7 August 2012
Sydney Morning Herald
Nearly 200 guns have been stolen from premises across the state in a five-month spate of thefts but the police are adamant the gun registry has not been accessed illegally.
The Herald is aware of 25 break and enters, mostly in rural and semi-rural homes, that appear to be targeted at gun thefts. Up to 18 firearms were stolen at a time, including Olympic-grade pistols and former police guns.
The recent spike prompted suggestions that the NSW Firearms Registry had been... (GunPolicy.org)
Firearm Thefts In Australia Top 7,500
3 August 2012
Age (Melbourne)
Criminals have stolen thousands of guns from homes and dealers in Australia over the past eight years, with only a fraction recovered by police within a year, according to a study of organised crime gangs and firearm trafficking.
And police have seized hundreds of semi-automatic rifles (the type of weapon used by the man who murdered 12 people in a Colorado cinema last month) from organised crime gangs such as bikies across the country.
The report, by the Australian... (GunPolicy.org)
US Needs to Get Rid of Its Guns - John Howard, Former Australian PM
1 August 2012
Sydney Morning Herald, Opinion
Early in 2008 Janette and I were guests of the former president, George H. W. Bush or "41", as he is affectionately known, at his Presidential Library in College Station, Texas. I spoke to a warm and friendly audience of more than 300 who enthusiastically reacted until, in answer to a request to nominate the proudest actions of the Australian government I had led for almost 12 years, I included the national gun control laws enacted after the Port Arthur massacre in... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Australia,Philippines
Gun Makers Tool Up Illegal Production Lines for Philippine Election
28 July 2012
Reuters
MANDAUE CITY, Philippines - In the Philippines, they vote with their trigger fingers. Elections mean big business for illegal gunsmiths, who are looking forward to 2013 mid-term polls.
With election-related violence commonplace, the Philippines imposes a ban on the carrying of guns for six months, from campaigning to the proclamation of winners.
With legal access denied, Filipinos simply turn to the many illegal gunsmiths who ply their trade in back alleys and on the... (GunPolicy.org)
Americas,Africa,Australia,Europe,Oceania,Asia
UN Arms Trade Treaty Blocked by Key Nations: Talks to Continue
28 July 2012
ABC News (Australia)
A UN deal to regulate the international arms trade has suffered a serious setback.
The Australian-sponsored draft treaty was blocked by the United States, Russia, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela, who all asked for more time.
Under the proposed UN treaty, signatories would have had to evaluate if any conventional weapons they exported could be used to violate human rights or fall into the hands of organised-crime gangs.
United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon said he was... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada,United States,Australia
Australian Academic Says Gun Culture a Risk Factor for Shooting Sprees
25 July 2012
Sydney Morning Herald, Opinion
The number of victims in the Colorado cinema shooting would undoubtedly have been much higher than 12 killed and 58 wounded had the AR-15 assault rifle used by the alleged offender, James Holmes, not jammed. According to police, the jammed weapon was capable of firing 50-60 rounds a minute. Police say Holmes also had two Glock pistols, a shotgun and 6000 rounds of ammunition.
Shock, dismay and surprise are always expressed after such killings - and questioning of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Gun Laws Prevent Purchase of US Mass Shooting Guns
24 July 2012
ABC News (Australia)
The awful shooting tragedy in Colorado last week happened in Aurora, 30kms from Bega's sister city of Littleton, in turn adjacent to the scene of the 1999 Columbine school massacre. The Bega-Littleton Exchange was the first Australia-US sister city relationship, developed from the two communities recognising shared characteristics and values. Over the fifty years of the relationship many things have changed, particularly in Denver's satellite communities like Littleton... (GunPolicy.org)
Aussie Politician Issues Travel Warning: Beware Gun Death Risk in America
23 July 2012
Australian (Sydney) / AAP
Former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer yesterday issued an extraordinary warning to Australians planning to take advantage of the strong dollar and travel to the US: go at your own peril.
Mr Fischer's warning came after 12 people were killed and a further 58 wounded when a gunman fired on a crowded cinema during a screening of the latest Batman movie in the Denver, Colorado, suburb of Aurora.
"It has reached the stage where the likelihood of being shot is 15 times... (GunPolicy.org)
Over 6500 Guns Destroyed in Tasmania Since 2007, Crime Rate Down
21 July 2012
Hobart Mercury (Tasmania)
Police are crushing more than 100 guns a month 1400 a year in an effort to keep the community safe. These weapons are seized during criminal investigations, or handed in for various reasons such as property from a deceased estate, unwanted, or unregistered.
Tasmania Police Commissioner Darren Hine said the permanent amnesty under the Firearms Act allowed any unauthorised firearms to be handed in to a police station and no action would be taken in relation to their... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Seize Over 750 Guns from Australian Home
19 July 2012
West Australian (Perth) / AAP
Police have found a huge collection of old guns and explosives at an elderly man's home in Sydney's south.
The man had several licences to hold firearms, including one allowing the weapons to be used in theatrical productions in film and television, police say.
However, many of the more than 750 weapons found during raids on the property in Lugarno on Thursday morning were not stored safely, they say.
The weapons, which police are seizing, include ex-military and... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Gun Club Blames Fatal Shooting on Police, Loses Licence
16 July 2012
Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Pistol Club, from which a mentally ill woman took a pistol she used to kill her father, has failed to have its sport shooting licence reinstated amid concerns it has not acknowledged responsibility for its role in the incident.
The club had instead unfairly tried to shift responsibility to the Firearms Registry, the Administrative Decisions Tribunal found. The tribunal could not be satisfied the club would ensure the safety of its firearms.
Shamin Fernando,... (GunPolicy.org)
Facebook Group Dedicated to Peddling Weapons, Handguns in Australia
6 July 2012
TechEye (Rome)
The Melbourne Age has uncovered a Facebook group dedicated to peddling weapons.
The group panicked after it was outed by the Age and told its members to delete everything they had posted.
Apparently one member has already been raided and he said he was lucky he was not home at the time.
The group had been peddling handguns and stun-guns, amongst other things. The Facebook group had hundreds of members and made arrangements to buy illegal weapons.
The Age has... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Factory, Semi-automatic Handguns Found in Sydney Home
4 July 2012
Sydney Morning Herald
A fitter and turner is alleged to have made and modified weapons in his Sydney home for an organised crime group.
The 55-year-old man was arrested at his Greystanes home at 11am today but taken to hospital when he complained of breathing difficulties. He will be interviewed later.
The arrest comes after a 12-month investigation by the Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad into a syndicate dealing in illegal weapons.
Today detectives from Strike Force Centre and the... (GunPolicy.org)
New Australian Registry to Keep Track of 'Lost' Guns
4 July 2012
Sydney Morning Herald
Australian police ministers are hoping a new national gun database will put an end to the estimated 14,000 firearms police lose track of each year.
Gun trafficking has reached such a crisis point, an annual meeting of police ministers was brought forward a month to last week to kick-start a national response.
That response, according to the meeting recommendations, will include an Interpol-compliant National Firearms Identification Database (NFID), a... (GunPolicy.org)
Somalia,Congo (DRC),Caribbean,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,Liberia,Australia
Arms Trade Treaty Must Include All Guns and Ammo, Says Australia
2 July 2012
Sydney Morning Herald, Opinion
Ten years ago, tens of thousands of Kalashnikov assault rifles were transported into the West African country of Liberia. It was a violation of the UN arms embargo. The weapons were used by forces loyal to Charles Taylor to commit the most terrible crimes.
Boys, some as young as 11, were handed these weapons and told to kill. In the farms and villages of places such as Bong County on the border with Guinea, these Kalashnikovs became weapons of massive destruction. The... (GunPolicy.org)
Tough New Laws Target Illegal Gun Trade in Australia
30 June 2012
ABC News (Australia)
The Federal Government has announced a range of new measures to combat the illegal gun trade after a new report revealed there are 250,000 illegal firearms in Australia.
The report by the Australian Crime Commission has prompted the Government to strengthen the country's gun laws.
It will introduce legislation to create a maximum penalty of life in jail for people involved in gun trafficking.
Justice Minister Jason Clare says a national firearms register will also be... (GunPolicy.org)
South Australia New Bill Allows Jailing for Illegally Discharging Firearms
13 June 2012
ABC News (Australia)
Legislation allowing for the jailing of people who illegally discharge guns has been introduced in the South Australian Parliament.
It is a response to cases including recent drive-by shootings in Adelaide.
SA Attorney-General John Rau said the bill creates a new offence of discharging a firearm without a lawful excuse.
Once the legislation passed, Mr Rau said a three-month amnesty would open for illegal weapons to be surrendered to police.
"The clear objective of... (GunPolicy.org)
Youths Charged with Theft of Hunting Rifles by SE Australian Police
4 June 2012
Advertiser (Adelaide)
Four teenagers have been charged after police recovered 17 firearms, including hunting rifles and shotguns, from properties in the state's South-East
Police searched several residential and business premises here and in Victoria.
A Mount Gambier man, 18, was charged on April 27 with unlawful possession, theft and several firearms offences and was bailed to appear in the Mount Gambier Magistrates Court next month.
A Keith youth, 17, was charged on May 4 with unlawful... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Owners Lose Weapons to Australian Thieves, Blame Firearm Registry
1 June 2012
Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
Fifty firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition have been stolen from registered NSW gun owners in the past 16 days, prompting fears the firearms registry has been compromised.
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione and Police Minister Mike Gallacher on Wednesday made a public show of overseeing the destruction of 142 weapons seized in recent months.
But it has taken little over two weeks for criminals to steal more than a third of that number and put them back on... (GunPolicy.org)
Sydney, NSW Gun Seizures Soar, But Only 10% Are Handguns
30 May 2012
Australian Associated Press
A spike in gun seizures in NSW has intensified calls for a national ballistics testing system to help authorities link weapons to crimes.
The latest police figures show nearly 4500 firearms have been seized in NSW since January 2011, with more than a third of those located in the past two months.
Police Minister Michael Gallacher on Wednesday watched the destruction of 142 of these weapons, including a "Dirty Harry" style .45 calibre revolver, an Uzi submachine gun, a... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany,United Kingdom,Asia,United States,Australia
Illegal Guns a Booming Trade through International Mail Order Services
27 May 2012
Courier-Mail (Brisbane)
Thousands of guns - some broken down into 30 pieces - are being seized by Australian Customs as criminals use the internet to widen their networks.
Gun pieces hidden in bags of screws, tools and car parts are being found by scans, as soaring international mail deliveries become an increasing challenge for authorities.
The Sunday Mail can reveal that more than 4000 guns, parts and magazines were seized by Customs between 2008 and 11.
The internet is being used for... (GunPolicy.org)
Customs X-Ray Failed to Detect 122 Guns in German Parcels to Australia
24 May 2012
ABC News (Australia)
Customs officials have revealed that their X-ray machines did not pick up more than 100 pistols that were illegally imported through a Sydney post office.
Police arrested four people in March over the Glock pistols that were allegedly posted from Germany to the Sylvania Waters Post Office.
Representatives from the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service were questioned about the case during a federal Estimates hearing in Canberra this morning.
At the time... (GunPolicy.org)
Time to Expose Crime Gun Origins, Revisit Gun Control in Australia
14 May 2012
Australian (Sydney), Opinion
More than 16 years have passed since the massacre of 35 people at Port Arthur in Tasmania, on a Sunday afternoon in April still painfully vivid in our memories. In his second month in office, John Howard responded to the national mood with a gun buy-back scheme. More than 700,000 weapons were handed in and destroyed -- about 20 per cent of Australia's firearms. Encouraged by the commonwealth, state and territory ministers also agreed on tougher, uniform gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Queensland About Face: Mandatory Sentences for Illegal Gun Possession
30 April 2012
Brisbane Times (Queensland)
Illegal firearm traffickers will face a mandatory minimum term of five years in jail, with the Newman government spelling out reforms to clamp down on bikie-related crime in Queensland.
Premier Campbell Newman's embrace of a raft of mandatory minimum sentences mark a shift since last year, when the Liberal National Party leader explained why they were a bad idea.
His post cabinet-announcement of tougher penalties for serious offences comes in the wake of Saturday's... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Justice Minister Admits Gaps in Gun Laws, Tracing, Registration
27 April 2012
ABC News (Australia), Audio
Justice and Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare says there are weaknesses in the nation's gun control laws. He says he is drafting some proposals to take to the next meeting of his state and territory counterparts in June, which include closing loopholes in the national firearms database.
TRANSCRIPT: On the eve of the 16th anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre the Federal Government has announced it intends to reform Australia's gun laws.
The Minister for Justice and... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Authorities to Crack Down on Illegal Arms Trade
27 April 2012
ABC News (Australia)
As New South Wales authorities grapple with the worst bikie war in decades, the Federal Government says it is determined to crack down on the illegal gun trade, and they have handguns in their sights.
While the bikie war rages, there there have been outbreaks of gun violence in other parts of the country as well.
On the eve of the 16th anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre, the Government has announced plans to amend Australia's gun laws.
National figures are... (GunPolicy.org)
Fourfold Rise in Guns, Parts Smuggled to Australia, Most from USA
25 April 2012
Gympie Times (Queensland)
Firearm seizures at Australian borders have exploded four-fold over the past five years with most failed import attempts coming from the United States.
Australian Customs and Border Protection figures provided to APN Newsdesk show firearm, firearm parts, magazine or accessory detections in Australia increased from 225 in the 2006-07 financial year to 977 in the last financial year.
The biggest year for detections was in 2009-10 when Australian Customs discovered... (GunPolicy.org)
Origin of Crime Guns in Australia: Plenty of Myths, Little Evidence
24 April 2012
ABC News (Australia), Audio
The recent spate of shootings in Sydney's western suburbs have been tagged as criminal-on-criminal violence. There have been more than 50 shootings so far this year and a 40 per cent increase in drive-bys over the last two years. Is there something more going on than just gang warfare? Fifteen hundred guns are stolen every year, falling into the wrong hands.
Transcript
Anita Barraud: Thanks, Mark, and welcome to the Law Report. The recent spate of shootings in... (GunPolicy.org)
Surge in Gun Violence in Australia as Criminals 'Tool Up'
22 April 2012
Age (Melbourne)
He affects the face of a tough guy, but the gun this twitchy young man keeps for protection looks like a novelty cigarette lighter. The .22 derringer can almost be concealed in his pudgy hand, save for the stumpy barrel that sticks out between his fingers.
The speed that he deals keeps him highly strung. But it's mainly the gun that makes him edgy. "If I get caught with drugs, I wouldn't go to jail. I don't hold enough and I haven't been caught before," he says. "But... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Police Fear Criminals Stockpiling Stolen Guns for Gang Warfare
20 April 2012
Courier-Mail (Brisbane)
Police fear criminals are stockpiling hundreds of firearms stolen in Queensland each year and plan to use them in violent confrontations and possible gang warfare.
The LNP Government yesterday announced a crackdown on illegal firearms after The Courier-Mail revealed gun theft had soared in Queensland, with hundreds stolen in the past year.
In the wake of two recent fatal shootings in Brisbane, Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said police feared the weapons would be... (GunPolicy.org)
States 'Should Unite' to Combat Spread of Illegal Guns - S. Australian AG
19 April 2012
Australian (Sydney)
States should adopt a nationally consistent approach to deal with criminal organisations to combat the spread of illegal firearms, South Australian Attorney-General John Rau said yesterday.
Mr Rau's call came as NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione warned that gangs were moving towards an American criminal culture of resolving disputes "at the end of a handgun".
Gun-related violence has risen to national prominence after the Tuesday night shooting of a Hell's Angel... (GunPolicy.org)
100,000 Imported Handguns a 'Major Public Concern' for Australia
18 April 2012
Sydney Morning Herald, Opinion
April is an eerie time of year. Sixteen years ago this month, Martin Bryant opened fire at historic Port Arthur in Tasmania, killing 35 people and wounding 18 others. This month also marks the anniversaries of the Columbine massacre of April 20, 1999 in the US, where 13 people were killed and at least 21 injured, the Virginia Tech massacre of April 16, 2007, where 32 people died and 25 were injured, and now Oakland's Oikos University massacre, which happened two weeks... (GunPolicy.org)
