Gun Policy News
Firearm amnesties and gun buy-backs in the news
Australia Agrees to First National Gun Amnesty in 20 Years
21 October 2016
Associated Press
Australia will allow gun owners to hand in illegal firearms without penalty next year as concerns grow over gun crimes involving such weapons, a federal minister said Friday.
Australia's police and justice ministers agreed at a meeting to start a nationwide gun amnesty from the middle of 2017, Justice Minister Michael Keenan said.
"Australia is world-renowned for the strength of our firearm laws, but illegal firearms do remain a deadly weapon of choice for organized... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Prepares New Gun Amnesty as City Shootings Rise
26 September 2016
Nikkei Asian Review
SYDNEY -- A crazed gunman shot dead 35 people at Port Arthur, a historic tourist site in the Australian island state of Tasmania in April 1996, prompting then-Prime Minister John Howard to outlaw military-style assault weapons and introduce a gun buyback scheme as part of a tough set of national firearm laws.
Australia's gun homicide and suicide rates have both fallen markedly in the intervening 20 years and there have been no mass shootings (defined as five or more... (GunPolicy.org)
Has Australia Become Complacent About Gun Control?
21 September 2016
Huffington Post (Australia)
It's been 20 years since the Port Arthur massacre, and the landmark gun control legislation introduced by the Howard government soon after. Two decades on from the buy back scheme which saw 700,000 guns taken off streets and destroyed, the Australian Greens have named senator Lee Rhiannon as their new gun control spokesperson. It is a new portfolio for the party, and Rhiannon herself said she wasn't sure if any other party had named a specific gun control portfolio... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Amnesty Hopes to Recover Thousands of Illegal Guns
14 September 2016
Sydney Morning Herald
Justice Minister Michael Keenan says he expects that at least "thousands" of illegal guns to be handed over in a planned national firearms amnesty.
But the nature of the illicit market meant it was hard to know how many owners of illegal guns would actually be prepared to give them up, as opposed to serious criminals who will want to hang onto their weapons, he said.
Mr Keenan has confirmed Fairfax Media reports on Wednesday that the federal government will soon nail... (GunPolicy.org)
JAMA's Article on Australia's Gun Control Fuels Controversy
24 June 2016
Medpage Today (USA)
Does Australia's gun control policy -- a government buy back of civilian-owned guns and strict laws limiting access to guns -- offer useful insights for the U.S.?
No, according Timothy Wheeler, MD, a retired Los Angeles head and neck surgeon, who played a role in Congress's decision to withhold funding for CDC studies of gun violence, who termed Australia's buyback "a full-fledged mass confiscation."
"The 1996 National Firearms Agreement's so-called 'buyback' of... (GunPolicy.org)
Drastic Drops in Australia Gun Deaths After New Regulations
23 June 2016
RT-TV Novosti (Russia)
Gun control legislation introduced by Australia 20 years ago has not only stopped mass shootings from happening, but also led to a fall in gun-related fatalities, a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows.
Rapid fire weapons were banned in Australia in 1996 following a mass shooting, which killed 35 people. A year later, the government introduced a buy-back scheme. Over the next few years, over 700,000 semi-automatic weapons, pump... (GunPolicy.org)
Not So Fast: Why Australia Should Still Worry About Guns
23 June 2016
Daily Life (Australia)
Not for Charlotte Bacon, who would never turn seven. Not for Ana either. Not for Madeleine Hsu. Not for Jack or Gracie. Not Jesse nor James.
God knows, nothing moved politicians to talk hopes and prayers like the 20 murdered children of Sandy Hook Elementary School but nothing moved them to make change. Nearly four years later, another mass shooting and 49 dead in Orlando.
On Monday, US senators still couldn't come together to pass any gun control measures at all.... (GunPolicy.org)
Why Banning Assault-Weapons Could Reduce Mass Shootings in the US
22 June 2016
New York Mag
The American conversation about mass shootings is excruciating and circular because there is no possible universe in which our lawmakers will tighten gun control in a meaningful way anytime soon. Among advocates for stronger restrictions on who can buy guns — or at least the most deadly ones — the best hope, for now, is to simply keep building the case and amping up the pressure, in the hopes that some sort of tipping point will eventually be reached.
One way to do... (GunPolicy.org)
Mass Shootings in Australia Down to Zero After Gun Law Reforms
22 June 2016
USA Today
WASHINGTON — Major gun law reforms in Australia enacted 20 years ago have eliminated fatal mass shootings there, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Before Australia enacted the reform, it had 13 mass shootings in the span of 17 years.
The study, conducted by three Australian university researchers, was released two days after the Senate rejected four measures that would increased background checks for... (GunPolicy.org)
No Mass Shootings in 20 Years: How Did Australia Do It?
22 June 2016
NBC News (USA)
Strict new gun laws passed after a mass shooting in Australia 20 years ago appear to have prevented any more such attacks there, researchers reported Wednesday.
And overall deaths from firearms have fallen since the 1997 law, which banned certain semi-automatic and pump-action weapons and forced owners to sell them back to the government, the team reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"Following enactment of gun law reforms in Australia in 1996,... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Police Have Seized One Gun Per Hour This Year
21 June 2016
CBS News (USA)
CHICAGO — In the wake of another bloody weekend in Chicago, police said they have seized more than 4,200 guns this year – more than one per hour.
Police said nearly 100 guns were taken off the streets on Father's Day weekend alone. At least 13 people were killed and more than 40 others were wounded in shootings over the same weekend.
"With the help of community organizations and gun buy-back events, CPD has been able to confiscate these guns and potentially help... (GunPolicy.org)
Toronto Confronts Worst Gun Death Toll in More Than a Decade
8 June 2016
Toronto Star (Ontario)
Toronto is on track to record its worst year for gun deaths in more than a decade.
Not since 2005, dubbed "The Year of the Gun," have more Toronto residents died by a bullet at such a pace.
This year's first homicide came on Jan. 4, when 17-year-old Joseph Petit was shot dead minutes after beginning a conversation with two men who showed up at his home in the Victoria and Danforth Aves. area.
His mother, Ana Pavao, found her son lying on the street near their... (GunPolicy.org)
Australians Now Own More Guns Than Ever Before
28 April 2016
Sydney Morning Herald
Australians now own more guns than before the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, according to new research that shows firearm imports hit a record high in 2014-15.
[Charts, tables in the original]
The surge in gun-buying over the past 16 years, which has seen 1.02 million guns brought into the country, has been largely a "gun swap", according to Philip Alpers, a University of Sydney public health researcher, gun control expert and founding director of GunPolicy.org.
"The... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control in Australia Has Been a Huge Success - VOA
28 April 2016
Voice of America
SYDNEY— Australia on Thursday marked the 20th anniversary of a mass shooting which led to strict gun controls that have in turn led to a huge decline in gun murders, undermining claims in the United States that such curbs are not the answer.
The chances of being murdered by a gun in Australia plunged to 0.15 per 100,000 people in 2014 from 0.54 per 100,000 people in 1996, a decline of 72 percent, a Reuters analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics figures... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia's Gun Problem: Laws Weakened since Port Arthur
28 April 2016
Marie Claire
April 28 marks 20 years since the Port Arthur massacre and the implementation of Australia's groundbreaking gun legislation. But with gun ownership back to 1996 levels and firearm restrictions under threat, are our gun laws failing to protect us?
It was just after 5pm on a brisk winter Sunday in Sydney, and the sickening sense of worry was building in Michelle Fernando's stomach. She was due to meet her father, Vincent, that evening to attend a talk by a lawyer they... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia's Gun Numbers Climb as Imports Hit Historic High
28 April 2016
The Conversation
The proud claim of some Australians that their country has "solved the gun problem" might only be a temporary illusion. In recent years, arms dealers have imported more guns than ever before. And last year we crossed a symbolic threshold: for the first time in 20 years, Australia's national arsenal of private guns is larger than it was before the Port Arthur massacre.
This increase must be seen in context. Australia's population grew by 5 million in the same period, so... (GunPolicy.org)
Could Australia's Gun Control Laws Be Weakening?
28 April 2016
The Conversation
Gun violence has halved in Australia since laws were changed under the National Firearms Agreement adopted in the wake of the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
Before the killing of 35 people by 28-year-old Martin Bryant at Port Arthur in Tasmania, each state and territory had different gun laws. Western Australia had the strongest laws and lowest rates of gun violence; Queensland had the weakest laws and gun violence was high.
In 1987, five people in the Northern Territory... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Gun Owners Buy More Than Before
27 April 2016
The Conversation
The proud claim that Australia may have "solved the gun problem" might only be a temporary illusion. In recent years, arms dealers have imported more guns than ever before. And last year we crossed a symbolic threshold: for the first time in 20 years, Australia's national arsenal of private guns is larger than it was before the Port Arthur massacre.
This increase must be seen in context. Australia's population grew by five million in the same period, so per-capita... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control Laws Changed Australia, says PM John Howard
26 April 2016
Sydney Morning Herald
Just six weeks into the job, Prime Minister John Howard was pottering at Kirribilli House when he received a call from his press secretary, Tony O'Leary, alerting him to the tragedy unfolding at Port Arthur.
"I turned on the television and within minutes others from my office and the Federal police Commissioner rang me to explain what was happening," Mr Howard recalled this week, on the eve of that fateful day on April 28,1996.
Thirty-five people, mostly tourists... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia: Gun Debate Flares 20 Years After Mass Shooting
24 April 2016
Washington Post, Associated Press
PORT ARTHUR -- Carolyn Loughton still carries a bullet in her shoulder from one of the world's worst mass shootings that killed her daughter 20 years ago and galvanized Australia to drastically clamp down on guns.
Loughton threw her body over her 15-year-old daughter Sarah, but could not save her from a gunman with two semi-automatic assault rifles who methodically took headshots in a Port Arthur, Tasmania, cafe on April 28, 1996, killing 35 people.
In response, the... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Debate Riddled with Wrong, Meaningless Numbers
15 March 2016
The Conversation
United States President Barack Obama continues to push for reform on gun control amid concerns that people will "become numb" to any further mass shootings, which he says are now happening on a weekly basis.
His comments followed a shooting in Kansas last month in which three people died and 14 were wounded.
But his attempts to do something have been frustrated by a Congress that reportedly has not approved any major gun-control legislation since the 1990s.
Instead,... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia,Japan,United Kingdom,United States
So, America, This Is How Other Countries Do Gun Control
14 March 2016
Guardian
Thirty people will be shot dead in America today. On average. It could be more. If it's less, then more will die tomorrow. Or the next day.
The United States's gun homicide rate is 25 times higher than other high-income countries, according to a recent study.
Americans are divided on whether the country's gun deaths could be reduced through tougher laws on gun ownership. Liberals argue that legal restrictions on gun ownership could save lives. Conservatives say that... (GunPolicy.org)
How Australia Made Gun Control Happen After Port Arthur
14 March 2016
Guardian
On Sunday 28 April 1996 a security guard, Ian Kingston, stood in the doorway of the Broad Arrow cafe at the historic site of Port Arthur in southern Tasmania. He stared at the body of a man lying on the floor, then looked up into the barrel of a semi-automatic rifle. He dived back out the door as Martin Bryant pulled the trigger. Bryant killed 12 people in 15 seconds.
On the gravel path outside the cafe Kingston tried to herd people who thought the gunshots were part... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Dealt with Mass Shootings, Gun Death Fell 60%
13 March 2016
CBS News (USA)
In the wake of a deadly shooting rampage back in 1996, the Australian government reacted quickly and decisively to ban certain guns. So did it make a difference? Seth Doane takes a look:
"It's said that when you lose your parents, you lose your past. When you lose your child, you lose your future," said Carolyn Loughton.
She'd flung herself on top of her daughter when a gunman started shooting, but it was not enough to save Sarah's life. "She had just turned 15,"... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada,New Zealand,United Kingdom,Australia,United States
How a Conservative-Led Australia Ended Mass Gun Killings
4 December 2015
New York Times
In the continuing debate over how to stop mass killings in the United States, Australia has become a familiar touchstone.
President Obama has cited the country's gun laws as a model for the United States, calling Australia a nation "like ours." On the campaign trail, Hillary Clinton has said the Australian approach is "worth considering." The National Rifle Association has dismissed the policies, contending that they "robbed Australians of their right to self-defense... (GunPolicy.org)
United Kingdom,Canada,United States,Australia
US Political Debate About Australian-Style Gun Laws
20 October 2015
Sydney Morning Herald
Asked about Hillary Clinton's suggestion that the United States consider Australian-style gun laws, one of the country's leading gun industry champions laughed.
"You've got to ask yourself how much the NRA paid the Clinton Foundation to get her to say that," Richard Feldman, a former National Rifle Association lobbyist said.
"Forget gold, that comment is worth its weight in platinum."
Australia has been raised again in the US debate over guns in the wake of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Israel,United States,Australia,United Kingdom
Gun Control Advocates Envy Australia, Britain's Strict Laws
14 October 2015
Washington Times
Australia and Britain have been held out as examples of foreign countries that moved quickly to impose gun restrictions in the wake of national tragedies as the United States grapples with what — if any — policy reforms could prevent future mass shootings like the recent attack in Oregon.
Both countries saw a drop in gun-related crimes after imposing restrictions, though analysts debate whether the laws deserve credit.
But all sides agree the moves Britain and... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Deceased Man Had 20 Guns and Ammunition
10 September 2015
Bay Post, Australian Associated Press
An old man who littered his Dapto home with hidden firearms – some of them prohibited weapons – left no clues to explain the mystery cache before he died, police say.
Twenty never-registered guns were found late last week stuffed inside unlocked cupboards or barely concealed underneath beds.
Among the haul were four self-loading rifles, two pump-action shotguns, a self-loading and one shortened firearm. Police also found several thousand rounds of ammunition... (GunPolicy.org)
Experts Discusion on Gun Buyback Programs in United States
17 July 2015
Trace (USA)
On June 27, the Tampa Police Department staged a daylong gun buyback event in response to a recent rise of shootings and homicides in Hillsborough County, Florida. From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., anyone in the county could anonymously exchange an operating gun for $50 in cash and walk away with no questions asked. By the end of the day, the department had collected 521 firearms: 213 revolvers, 135 pistols, 104 rifles, and 79 shotguns. After being catalogued, the haul will be... (GunPolicy.org)
The Upsides of the Australian Gun Buyback
31 July 2014
Inside Story (Australia)
On the chilly Melbourne evening of Sunday 9 August 1987, nineteen-year-old former army cadet Julian Knight drank several beers at the Royal Hotel in Clifton Hill then packed a bag with an M14 semi-automatic, a Ruger 10/22 semi-automatic, and a Mossberg pump action 12-gauge shotgun. As he later told the police, "I wanted to see what it was like to kill someone."
Most bullets are less than a centimetre wide, but when they enter a person's body they make a far larger... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Proves It: National Gun Buybacks Reduce Mass Shootings
5 June 2014
Time (USA), Opinion
In the decade and a half since Australia initiated the policy, the number of firearms per person has stayed constant, and gun deaths have remained low.
Sometimes a tragedy is so awful that it changes the national debate. The 1996 Dunblane school shooting in Scotland and the 2011 Norwegian gun massacre all prompted an outpouring of anguish and a demand for changes in law. In Australia, that moment was the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, in which a gunman killed 35 people at... (GunPolicy.org)
No Silver Bullet… But Focus on Guns to Reduce Global Violence
16 May 2014
Huffington Post (USA), Blog
There is no "silver bullet" to reduce armed violence, a multi-faceted, complex phenomenon with a long list of drivers, risk factors and causal connections. Moreover, the local manifestation of armed violence often reflects unique factors and peculiarities found in a given community, country or culture, but not elsewhere.
As once noted about politics, all violence is also local; as such, there are many different interpretations of the best ways to confront this global... (GunPolicy.org)
Spitting, Stalking, Rape Threats: How Gun Extremists Target Women
15 May 2014
Mother Jones (USA)
As Jennifer Longdon steered her wheelchair through the Indianapolis airport on April 25, she thought the roughest part of her trip was over. Earlier that day she'd participated in an emotional press conference with the new group Everytown for Gun Safety, against the backdrop of the National Rifle Association's annual meeting. A mom, gun owner, and Second Amendment supporter, Longdon was paralyzed in 2004 after being shot in her car by unknown assailants, and has since... (GunPolicy.org)
Pastor Offers His Church for Unofficial Gun Amnesties in Bermuda
1 May 2014
Royal Gazette (Bermuda)
A Bermuda pastor has offered his church as a neutral venue for gun amnesties.
The Rev Leonard Santucci, pastor at the AME's Vernon Temple in Southampton, said that, even if his proposal failed to get official sanction, he was prepared to accept firearms at his church or even collect them from people's homes.
Dr Santucci said he had been involved in a successful gun buy back programme while serving in a church in East Orange, New Jersey.
He added: "I believe the... (GunPolicy.org)
US Dems Join NRA to Oppose Obama's 'Anti-Gun' Pick for Surgeon General
14 March 2014
New York Times
WASHINGTON — Facing a possible defeat in the Senate, the White House is considering delaying a vote on President Obama's choice for surgeon general or withdrawing the nomination altogether, an acknowledgment of its fraying relationship with Senate Democrats.
The nominee, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, an internist and political ally of the president's, has come under criticism from the National Rifle Association, and opposition from the gun-rights group has grown so intense... (GunPolicy.org)
Kazakh Police Buy Back Over 8,500 Illegal Guns
5 December 2013
Central Asian Online
ASTANA – Kazakhstani citizens this autumn handed in more than 8,500 illegal firearms, almost 800,000 rounds of ammunition, and 50 explosive devices to the police during a weapon buy-back campaign, Tengri News reported December 4, citing the Interior Ministry (MVD).
Police paid 268m KZS (US $1.7m) for the firearms, bullets and explosives. The buy-back ran from September 1 to November 30, the MVD... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian PM Defends Sport Shooting Record Amid Gun Control Calls
3 September 2013
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has defended his clay pigeon shooting record after the anti-gun lobby called on him to set an example.
Gun Control Australia's Roland Browne has backed a Greens policy on banning semi-automatic handguns, and demanded Mr Rudd show leadership with his own sports shooting.
The prime minister revealed during his first stint as prime minister that he enjoyed shooting clay targets.
But he told reporters in Launceston he hadn't been clay pigeon... (GunPolicy.org)
Shooting Death Reveals Gulf Between US and Australia Over Guns
25 August 2013
Herald Sun (Melbourne), Editorial
The horrific and senseless shooting of baseballer Chris Lane in the prime of his life has again exposed the deep divide in gun culture here and in America.
As United States President Barack Obama sends his prayers to the popular athlete's loved ones, Australians can count our blessings we live in a different society.
Three teens are accused of randomly ambushing an innocent stranger who was jogging in daylight, shooting him in the back and leaving him for dead by the... (GunPolicy.org)
Opinion: When Australians Gave Back Their Guns
24 August 2013
Washington Post
SYDNEY - Christopher Lane's parents wore dark sunglasses throughout the news conference they held to address the "senseless" death of their son: their noses were red, their sobs uncontrolled, their grief raw.
Lane, 22, a star athlete from Melbourne on a baseball scholarship to a U.S. college, was shot in the back this month as he jogged alongside a road in Oklahoma. One of the three teenagers who, according to police, left him to die in a drainage ditch said: "We were... (GunPolicy.org)
Recovered Guns Form a Sea of Steel in US
29 May 2013
Washington Post
Every few hours, in a routine that is sometimes grim but more often mundane, local police take a gun off the streets. Since 2000, nearly 50,000 guns have been recovered by authorities in the District and Prince George's County. That is enough to arm every law enforcement officer in Maryland, the District and Virginia, with a couple of thousand guns to spare.
Police confiscate guns after drive-bys, drug raids and traffic stops. They find them tossed on roofs and thrown... (GunPolicy.org)
Zambia Minister Asks Police to Revive Gun Amnesty to Reduce Crime
12 May 2013
Times of Zambia
Home Affairs Minister Edgar Lungu has urged the Zambia Police Service to revive the gun amnesty and buy-back schemes to reduce the number of illicit firearms in Zambia.
Mr Lungu said the police should seriously look into the increased misuse of firearms that were mostly smuggled into Zambia.
He said this when he officiated at the opening of Kanele Shopping Mall and Kanele Enterprise yesterday.
"The regulations of firearms dealing are continuously being stiffened both... (GunPolicy.org)
US Rapper Promotes Jewellery Made from Buyback Guns
19 April 2013
Scientific American
The rap star is supporting a new (and controversial) line of jewelry made from illegal guns that spends its proceeds to try to help get guns off the street.
If you follow rap, reggae or gun control, you may be aware of the transformation of gun-toting gangsta rapper Snoop Dogg into peace-loving reggae singer Snoop Lion. His first single as Snoop Lion, "No Guns Allowed," grabbed attention not only for its anti-gun hook - "Let the music play, me don't want no more... (GunPolicy.org)
Kuwait Authorities Propose New Gun Law, Buyback to Curb Crime
28 March 2013
Arab Times (Kuwait)
KUWAIT CITY - The Economic and Financial Affairs Committee of the National Assembly Thursday approved the amendment to the loan interest law and agreed on not to allocate more than KD 720 million to the 'Family Fund' which the state should use to buy the loans from the banks.
Speaking after a marathon meeting which was held in the presence of Minister of Finance, Mustafa Al-Shamali and Governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) Mohammed Al-Hathil, the Committee... (GunPolicy.org)
Activist Urges Nigeria Federal Govt to Commence Small Arms Buyback
20 March 2013
Daily Times (Nigeria)
An Onitsha-based activist, Mr Emeka Umeagbalasi, has urged the Federal Government to commence arms and ammunition buy-back in the country.
Umeagbalasi, Chairman, International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, made the call in Onitsha, Anambra State, on Tuesday.
He said that the Federal Government should come out with a policy to exchange these small arms surrendered by anyone with money.
Umeagbalasi was reacting to the alleged proliferation of small... (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)
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)
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)
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)
Colombia,Venezuela,Mexico,Chile,Brazil,Argentina
Gun Laws in Six Latin American Nations Explained
11 January 2013
Americas Society/Council of the Americas
Following a mass school shooting in Connecticut in December 2012, policymakers in the United States began engaging in a renewed debate about gun control. AS/COA Online looks at gun-related legislation in Latin America's six largest economies, identifying regulations for arms licensing. In Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela, gun possession is legal for civilians, though restrictions tend to be stringent. …
Argentina: Gun ownership in Argentina... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Buybacks Probably Don't Prevent Any US Mass Shootings
7 January 2013
Mother Jones (USA)
Weeks after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary that left 20 children and six teachers dead, the American public is still demanding that lawmakers say how they plan to stop future gun violence. One anti-gun measure that is picking up steam is community gun buyback programs, where people can turn weapons into the police for a couple hundred bucks or shopping discounts. These events have already been going on for years, but in the last week alone, at least six... (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)
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)
Gangs Can 'Hire' Assault Weapons in Ivory Coast
7 August 2012
Radio Netherlands
Keen to hire a Kalashnikov for the day? In a dangerous legacy of years of conflict, Ivory Coast's economic capital is now the hub of a thriving trade in automatic weapons for the criminal underworld.
"The 'Kalash' rules the streets in Abidjan," a police officer who is part of a task force charged with fighting gangland crime told AFP.
Criminals bent on a heist can rent an assault rifle for 30 euros ($37).
In one working-class district, a dealer who calls himself... (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)
Gun Buybacks Target Wrong Guns, Owners: Money Could Be Better Spent
15 July 2012
WNYC News (New York)
A Queens lawmaker last week called for more gun buy-back programs in the wake of a triple fatal shooting. But experts cast doubt on the effectiveness of the program to thwart crime.
Councilman James Sanders urged Queens District Attorney Richard Brown at press conference last Tuesday to hold another gun amnesty event. The most recent borough-wide buy-back program netted 922 guns.
Buybacks allow gun owners to turn over their weapons in exchange for money, no questions... (GunPolicy.org)
Sierra Leone,Yemen,Syria,Algeria,Iran,Somalia,China,Belarus,Italy,Germany,Bulgaria,Austria,Russia,Tunisia,United Kingdom,United States,Qatar,Sudan,Africa,Libya,Egypt,France
An Arms Buyback for Libya? – Analysis
9 June 2012
Eurasia Review (EU/Asia)
The Libyan civil war of early 2011 was one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history, with an estimated 30,000 killed and 50,000 injured. While Muammar Gaddafi's death marked a watershed moment in Libyan history, the months of frenzied violence that preceded it saw a massive buildup of arms and munitions in the country. In the months leading up to and after his fall, Gaddafi's arms warehouses all across the country became unsecured; such was the level of... (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)
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)
New South Wales Police Seized 131 Illegal Handguns in 2010-11
12 February 2012
Sydney Morning Herald
Police are powerless to stop gun crime while weapons exist on Sydney's streets, the Police Commissioner, Andrew Scipione, has admitted, but he will consider lobbying for a gun amnesty if his officers request it.
In an interview with The Sun-Herald, Mr Scipione compared gun crimes to car crashes, saying they were impossible to stop. But he said police were heavily focused on fighting the spike in shootings in Sydney's south-west.
"There is no way I would suggest that... (GunPolicy.org)
Shooters on 'Gun Buying Spree,' Own on Average 4 Guns Each in Australia's Largest State
16 January 2012
Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
NSW is gun mad - and proud of it - with shooters stockpiling almost 100,000 new registered firearms in the past five years.
The number of gun licences, meanwhile, has only increased by about a fifth, or 18,852 over the same period, showing some are stocking up with numerous weapons.
There are now 763,359 registered firearms across the state, including 27,956 handguns, compared with 190,844 licences - taking the ratio to four guns for every licensed owner. In some... (GunPolicy.org)
Soaring Gun Ownership 'Getting Out of Control' in Australia's Largest State
11 December 2011
Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
Soaring gun ownership in NSW is expected to soon exceed levels prior to the federal government's 1996 buy-back program.
Figures obtained by The Sunday Telegraph show there are 188,885 people on the NSW Police Firearms Register, just short of the estimated 200,000 licence holders pre- the Port Arthur massacre, which triggered changes to gun laws.
NSW Greens described the increase as "alarming" and gun control groups warned that more and more firearms would end up on... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns Destroyed in Australian Gun Buybacks Now Replaced with Imports
13 November 2011
ABC Radio National - Background Briefing, Transcript
Gun clubs report lots of new members, hunting is cool, and handguns are gangland chic. The hundreds of thousands of guns destroyed in buybacks since Port Arthur have been more than replaced by new ones. But guns are highly political and the national system for monitoring gun ownership is a mess. Reporter, Ian Townsend.
Ian Townsend: There may be more guns in Australia today than there have ever been. In the past 16 months in Queensland alone, nearly 50,000 guns —... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Gun Imports, Shooter Numbers Up, Firearm Records 'In a Mess'
12 November 2011
ABC News (Australia)
More than a decade after the horrific Port Arthur Massacre, gun ownership is on the rise in Australia, but experts say this resurgence is highlighting serious problems with the current regulation and registration system.
In the 15 years since Martin Bryant killed 35 people at the popular Tasmanian tourist site, the flow of firearms into Australia has eclipsed the amount recovered in the government funded buy-back scheme.
Last financial year alone Australians imported... (GunPolicy.org)
As Civil War Winds Down, Libya Is Awash in Small Arms
26 September 2011
National (Abu Dhabi), Editorial
Somewhere amid the detritus of Col Muammar Qaddafi's unlamented regime, US officials say, are as many as 20,000 shoulder-launched rockets, each capable of shooting down an airliner or helicopter. The notion of such weapons in the hands of Al Qaeda or its allies is a nightmare for everyone.
For the people of Libya, however, those rockets are just part of a much wider problem: as the civil war winds down, after the collapse of Qaddafi's regime, the country is awash in... (GunPolicy.org)
Bermuda Island Must Try Gun Buyback Scheme, Says Former Senator
19 September 2011
Royal Gazette (Bermuda)
The state of New Jersey has well-publicised problems with gangs and guns and one Bermudian has been doing his part to try to solve them.
The Rev Leonard Santucci, pastor of St Paul AME Church in East Orange, was involved in a gun buy back programme, which resulted in the recovery of almost 1,000 guns in just a couple of days.
The scheme saw prosecutors in Essex County join forces with churches of various denominations to encourage those with guns to turn them in.
Dr... (GunPolicy.org)
Ukraine,North Africa,Niger,Algeria,Mali,France,United Kingdom,United States,Libya
Libya Warned Smugglers Are Looting Gaddafi's Guns
2 September 2011
Guardian (UK)
Libya must urgently secure weapons hoarded by the Gaddafi regime amid growing fears that smugglers are exploiting the chaos there to loot hundreds of portable missiles and other small arms, western officials have warned.
The US and Nato are pressing the National Transitional Council to make the issue a priority because of concerns that the trade has already begun, with reports that some African mercenaries who fought for Colonel Muammar Gaddafi are returning home laden... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control Australia Says Government Is 'Helping Guns Proliferate'
14 August 2011
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
At least 20 rifles - including Brownings and Winchesters valued between $600 and $1500 each - can be won under the gun-lotto competition aimed at promoting the culling of foxes throughout the state.
FoxStop 2011 - an initiative of the Victorian Government's Future Farming Strategy, Field and Game Australia and the Sporting Shooters Association - is raffling the weapons.
It's believed up to six rifles have been won.
Gun Control Australia president John Crook... (GunPolicy.org)
Sri Lanka,Sudan,Malawi,Zambia,Mozambique,Macedonia,Liberia,Sierra Leone,West Africa,Africa,South Africa
Africa: Analysis: How Best to Remove Guns from Post-conflict Zones?
28 July 2011
IRIN (UN News)
JOHANNESBURG - Cash for guns or buy-back programmes in post-conflict states have fallen out of favour as a method of ridding a society of weapons, and have been replaced by often elaborate schemes designed to remove money from the equation, but the debate continues as to the best way forward.
The disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) community has grappled for years with buy-back practices and acknowledges they can have a profound effect on the nature of... (GunPolicy.org)
US Doctors Call Gun Safety 'Preventive', Gun Lobby Labels It 'Invasive'
13 June 2011
Boston Globe
Pediatricians regularly give parents advice about how to keep their children safe at home: Stash toxic cleaners where young children cannot get to them, fence the backyard swimming pool, require bike helmets, and keep any firearms unloaded and locked away.
Physicians call this kind of preventive care "anticipatory guidance". When it comes to guns, the National Rifle Association calls it an invasion of privacy.
Governor Rick Scott this month signed a law making Florida... (GunPolicy.org)
Buffalo Held Its Latest Gun Buyback: Police Collected More Than 600 Firearms
15 May 2011
Buffalo News (New York)
Buffalo held its fourth gun buyback Saturday, and police collected more than 600 firearms at seven churches throughout the city.
The no-questions-asked program yielded more than 200 nonworking guns, 170 rifles, 219 handguns and even a 12-gauge "street sweeper" assault rifle.
A curious aspect of the program was that more than half the weapons were turned in at just one of the seven locations— St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in South Buffalo, considered among the... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Buyback Initiative in Alabama, But More Gun Control Measures Are Needed
15 May 2011
Montgomery Advertiser (Alabama), Column
There are too many guns floating around here these days.
In fact, there are so many that the city of Montgomery announced Thursday that it would pay to get them off the streets: $50 per gun, no questions asked. They'll take whatever you've got -- handguns, shotguns, rifles. Just take your guns to any fire station during a certain time period next Friday and you'll get the cash and have a shot to win a prize.
City officials are expecting such a turnout that... (GunPolicy.org)
Bermuda Considers Specialist 'Gun Court' to Reduce Firearm Violence
12 April 2011
Royal Gazette (Bermuda)
Bermuda could end up introducing a gun court with a panel of judges because jurors are appearing to show bias, according to National Security Minister Wayne Perinchief.
Mr Perinchief believes some jury members have been intimidated in their decision-making while others may have allowed themselves to be influenced by whether a defendant has a criminal record.
He says a panel of judges instead would ensure justice is served and police's work gathering evidence against... (GunPolicy.org)
Popular Gun Amnesty, Buyback Destroyed 100,000 Firearms in Argentina
10 March 2011
Press TV (Iran)
Argentina's gun buy-back program is to be extended and amended to maintain its popularity in preventing violent crime and controlling the underground gun market.
"The plan is being implemented in collaboration with the general public and representatives of provinces and religious groups. In the first stage of the plan, in 2007, we destroyed more than 100,000 registered guns," says Andres Meiszner, the director of the Arms Registry Office.
The plan is so popular that... (GunPolicy.org)
Miami Gun Buyback Collects Handguns, AK-47, Tall Stories, Skepticism
19 December 2010
Miami Herald
Saturday's gun buyback program at an Opa-locka church was billed as a no-questions-asked affair: Hand over a gun, the police give you $50, and you walk away. But the genial gray-haired man who brought in a Russian-made assault rifle didn't mind chatting about it with a reporter.
"I brought it back from Vietnam when my tour of duty was over," he said. "It's just been sitting around the house for all these years. When I pass on, what my kids gonna do with it? I'll use... (GunPolicy.org)
Buyback Consigns 200 Guns to Scrap Merchant, Not Back on US Streets
10 December 2010
Times Leader (Pennsylvania)
WILKES-BARRE – When a gun owner dies, family members are often left with weapons they don't know what to do with.
Left to collect dust in closets and garages, guns are sometimes stolen and may become instruments of crimes, Luzerne County Detective Dan Beky said.
The Luzerne County District Attorney's Office made sure about 200 such unwanted guns would never present such a danger Thursday, shredding weapons it collected in a gun buyback late last year at metal... (GunPolicy.org)
Connecticut Gun Buyback Pays $75 for a Handgun, $25 for a Long Gun
1 December 2010
WFSB-TV News (Connecticut)
HARTFORD, Connecticut - For the second consecutive year, Hartford organizations are joining forces to sponsor a gun buy-back program.
The gun buy-back program will provide gift cards to people who turn in operable firearms.
A $75 gift card will be handed out for handguns or revolvers and a $25 gift card will be given out for shotguns or rifles.
Police said all of the guns that are handed in should be unloaded and placed in a clear plastic bag inside a paper bag or... (GunPolicy.org)
Civil Rights Leader Joins NYPD in Campaign to Curb Illegal Gun Running
19 November 2010
Reuters
Civil rights leader Al Sharpton on Friday joined forces with New York police to cut the number of illegal guns on the city's streets.
Sharpton, a strong critic of some past actions by New York police, will help promote a program called Gun Stop, which offers $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of someone with an illegal handgun.
Sharpton has "been against gun violence in so many different forums, and he's been particularly aware of and concerned about the... (GunPolicy.org)
Portland, Oregon Mayor Plans New City Gun Restrictions, Firearm Buyback
15 November 2010
Oregonian (Portland)
As Mayor Sam Adams prepares to bring to City Council on Thursday five proposed ordinances to stem shootings through gun-control regulations and stiffer juvenile curfews, he's expected to also announce today a gun buy-back event scheduled for the second week in December.
The mayor said on Friday he'd announce the exact date and location today. The December date, Adams said, should draw plenty of gun owners who may looking for extra shopping money for the... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Gun Buyback Saved $500 Million and 200 Lives Every Year
30 August 2010
Sydney Morning Herald
Ten years of suicide data after John Howard's decision to ban and then buy back 600,000 semi-automatic rifles and shotguns has had a stunning effect.
The buyback cut firearm suicides by 74 per cent, saving 200 lives a year, according to research to be published in The American Law and Economics Review.
A former Australian Treasury economist, Christine Neill, now with Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada, said she found the research result so surprising she... (GunPolicy.org)
Bronx Destroys Thousands of Guns, Spends $1 Million in Gun Buybacks
27 January 2010
New York Daily News
Cash-strapped people packing guns walked into four Bronx churches last weekend - and were paid for it.
Nearly 1,200 guns - handguns, semi-automatic weapons and sawed-off shotguns - were swapped for $200 each on Saturday as part of the latest joint NYPD/Bronx District Attorney's office gun buyback program.
Citywide, law enforcement officials have taken 5,700 guns off the streets since 2008.
"We'll never know, but that's potentially more than 5,000 lives saved," Police... (GunPolicy.org)
Orange County Buyback Hopes to Get Guns Off the Streets
13 January 2010
MidHudsonNews.com
NEWBURGH – City officials say Newburgh will participate in Orange County's latest gun buyback program on January 16 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
The buyback program is part of a countywide effort to get guns off the streets and keep them out of dangerous hands. In exchange for the weapons being turned in, no questions asked, the person turning the gun in will receive Shoprite gift cards. They range from $25 to $150 depending upon the condition and type of weapon turned... (GunPolicy.org)
Florida Gun Buyback Runs Out of Cash 3 times, Sheriff Pays Out $35,000
20 September 2009
Bradenton Herald (Florida)
BRADENTON, Florida — A winding line of gun-toting residents stood outside the Manatee County Sheriff's Office on Saturday afternoon for a shot to sell their guns.
"Honestly, I think the wrong people are standing in line," said Leo Blackman, 34, of Bradenton, as he waited with six guns and a box of ammo. "Everyone standing here is calm and orderly. We're not the ones they are worried about having a gun."
He had been waiting for nearly two hours.
The sheriff's... (GunPolicy.org)
South Ossetia Tries to Disarm Its Citizens with Amnesty, Buyback
15 August 2009
New York Times
TSKHINVALI, Georgia — For years, there was not much difference between a civilian and a soldier in South Ossetia, which was embroiled in a long struggle to separate from Georgia.
David G. Sanakoyev, for example, wore a tie during the day. As South Ossetia's ombudsman for human rights, he handled complaints about prison conditions or unlawful firings. Three times a week, after work, he changed into camouflage and took up a position at the territory's border, rotating... (GunPolicy.org)
16,000 Guns Crushed, Turned Into Steel Reinforcing in Los Angeles
28 July 2009
Los Angeles Times, Blog
Officials today will destroy 16,000 guns confiscated from criminals and collected from numerous gun buy-back programs across L.A. County.
Law enforcement agencies have attempted to get guns off the street by allowing people to turn them in for gift cards.
Back in March, an LAPD gun-buyback program that traded gift cards for firearms netted nearly 1,700 weapons, including 40 assault-style weapons and a rifle with a grenade launcher.
The grenade launcher AR-15 rifle,... (GunPolicy.org)
To Redevelop Sudan, Buy Back Guns from Ex-Combatants and Civilians
24 May 2009
New Sudan Vision, Opinion
Sudan as a whole is and will continue to be in oddities from the post-conflict spilt over small arms and their misuse for quite sometime. If we, however, inject some science in this scenario in order to define and justify this eccentricity, it would be logical to see the inter-tribal small arms' conflict as after-shock from the aftermath of the twenty one years of a brutal war with each other. These definitions and many others will help us find the solutions to... (GunPolicy.org)
Papua New Guinea Police Minister Mulls Costly Buyback of Illegal Guns
5 May 2009
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
High-powered firearms will not be surrendered to police as they are viewed as tools for defensive reasons.
This was the sentiment shared by Police Minister Sani Rambi when asked about the possibility of high-powered firearms ever being surrendered in relation to the idea of the guns buyback strategy implemented by him last year.
When asked how far he was with a draft on the guns buyback strategy, he said that he was yet to draft a submission as it required a... (GunPolicy.org)
Weapon Demand Ignored, Gun Buyback on Road to Failure in Ghana
25 March 2009
Daily Graphic (Ghana)
A security analyst, Mr Emmanuel Sowatey, has described the weapons buy-back move by the Northern Regional Security Council (REGSEC) as wrong and out of place.
He said the initiative of the REGSEC, although laudable, should have addressed the causes of the demand-supply chain of the weapons, adding that weapons buy-back scheme had always been part of a major peace process and was never taken in isolation.
Mr Sowatey told the Daily Graphic on Tuesday that without... (GunPolicy.org)
Congo Pays US$200 Each to Buy Back, Destroy 3,000 Assault Weapons
4 March 2009
IRIN (UN News)
BRAZZAVILLE — At least 2,800 weapons recovered from ex-combatants in a three-week operation in the southern Pool region, site of several civil wars between 1998 and 2003, have been destroyed, according to a government official.
"On Monday afternoon, in Kinkala, we incinerated some 2,873 weapons collected from ninja ex-combatants in the Pool region," Moandzibi Olingoba, the commissioner in charge of the economic reintegration of former fighters, told IRIN on 2 March.... (GunPolicy.org)
Congo Gun Amnesty, Buyback to Collect 3,000 Weapons for Destruction
13 February 2009
IRIN (UN News)
BRAZZAVILE — The Congolese government has started an operation to buy 3,000 weapons from ex-combatants and others illegally possessing weapons in the Pool region, southern Congo, an official told IRIN on 11 February.
"Teams have been deployed on the ground. The operation to buy up the weapons started on 10 February in Pool region. It should allow the purchase of at least 3,000 weapons still in circulation in this zone," Moandzibi Olingoba, commissioner in charge of... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Buybacks Now 'Smarter,' Police Say They Work if Carefully Designed
25 January 2009
Newsday (New York)
By dawn, the line of people turning in guns at the Uniondale church was snaking out the door.
It was Nassau's first gun buyback in 20 years, and by the end of that December day, police had taken in 424 handguns and shotguns at four churches — such an unexpectedly large number that they burned through the $50,000 officials had allocated and had to issue IOUs.
A gun buyback in Suffolk the same weekend also far surpassed expectations, and in both counties law... (GunPolicy.org)
Congo Buyback Collects 3,000 Guns, Mainly from Women: Many Stolen?
15 December 2008
IRIN (UN News)
KINSHASA — Hundreds of people in Kinshasa have handed over illegal weapons for cash and cloth in a no-questions-asked campaign to reduce crime in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
AK-47 automatic rifles, Uzi sub-machine guns and rocket launchers were among the 3,000 or so weapons collected over the past three weeks by the Ecumenical Programme for Peace, Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation (PAREC), an NGO.
Those in working order were handed over to the police,... (GunPolicy.org)
Yemen 'Will Never Allow' Gun Dealers to Sell Weapons to Public Again
23 September 2008
Yemen News Agency / SABA
SANA'A — Interior Minister Mutahar Rashad al-Masri said on Tuesday that Yemen will never allow weapons trade to be back after it was prohibited since June 2008.
Al-Masri was quoted by the state-run 26sep.net as warning that the Ministry would crack down any arms merchants who sell secretly or in public any pieces of weapons.
"The Ministry don't allow the death trade to appear again after we took an unprecedented step enabled to shut down the arm trade markets", he... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control for Police, Prisons, Weapon Buyback in Papua New Guinea
16 September 2008
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
Internal Security Minister Sani Rambi returned from participating in the United Nations summit on Arm Violence and Development in Geneva.
The summit was a follow up of the Small Arms and Light Weapons Conference held in New York earlier this year which he attended with Police Commissioner Gari Baki.
Mr Rambi who arrived very early yesterday morning, attended the third bi-annual meeting mid July this year in which his idea before Parliament on the buying back of guns,... (GunPolicy.org)
Brazil Kicks Off New Gun Registration, Buyback Campaign [PT]
21 August 2008
Folha de São Paulo
[Translated summary: Brazil begins a new gun registration drive, convincing citizens either to register their guns, or to hand them over in a new buy-back campaign].
O governo lançou nesta quinta-feira uma nova edição da campanha para o registro nacional de armas de fogo. Coordenada pelo Ministério da Justiça, a campanha tem como objetivo incentivar os brasileiros a registrar ou entregar voluntariamente suas armas para reduzir as mortes no país. A partir de... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Buyback Collects 6,848 Guns, Assault Weapons for Destruction
1 August 2008
Chicago Sun-Times
Mayor Daley today cracked the door open to abandoning the costly fight to uphold Chicago's 1982 handgun freeze — if he can fashion a replacement ordinance that protects the safety of first-responders.
Until now, Daley had emphatically promised to defend Chicago's ordinance — all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, if need be — despite what he called the dangerous precedent set by the nation's highest court.
On June 26, the Supreme Court overturned a Washington... (GunPolicy.org)
New Gun Amnesty, Buyback, 'Disarmament Caravan' in Brazil [PT]
29 July 2008
Jornal do Brasil (Brazil) / Portal Terra
[Translated summary: Federal Police official explains "disarmament caravan" that will take place later this year to collect guns from isolated places in Brazil, in new gun buy-back campaign with the participation of civil society].
BRASÍLIA — A Polícia Federal, por meio do Ministério da Justiça, deve firmar convênios e criar a caravana do desarmamento para recolher armas em pontos isolados do Brasil.
- A idéia é ir um pessoal e ficar na cidade por um ou dois... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Gun Buyback Creates Market for Weapons, Makes Problem Worse
24 July 2008
Chicago Tribune
Here are six reasons I'm wary of gun buybacks, such as the one scheduled for Saturday in Chicago in which those who turn in firearms at any of 25 locations get a $100 prepaid credit card per gun, no questions asked.
1. I can't imagine criminals disarming themselves for a lousy $100.
Sure, they might dump their excess, scrap or stolen piece for the bounty. But if having a gun is integral to their criminal activities, it's absurd to think a buyback would inspire them to... (GunPolicy.org)
UN to Spend up to US$5 Million on Gun Control in Papua New Guinea
22 July 2008
National (Port Moresby)
The United Nations would make available up to US$5 million to combat and eradicate illegal guns in Papua New Guinea, Internal Security Minister Sani Rambi said at the Jacksons International Airport in Port Moresby yesterday.
Mr Rambi, Police Commissioner Gari Baki and PNGDF officer Capt (navy) Max Aleale had just returned from an international conference on small arms and light weapons in New York.
Mr Rambi said PNG was among 140 nations that attended the meeting as a... (GunPolicy.org)
Nearly 700 Guns from Brooklyn Buyback will be Melted into Coathangers
21 July 2008
NY1 TV News (New York)
City officials are calling Brooklyn's gun buy-back program a success.
A joint program between a group of Brooklyn pastors and the Brooklyn district attorney netted almost 700 guns.
The event allowed people who owned illegal guns to drop them off at six churches in exchange for a $200 debit card, no questions asked. Twenty dollar bank cards were given for B.B. guns and air pistols.
Overall, 697 illegal and functioning guns were collected on Saturday at six churches... (GunPolicy.org)
Mayor Asks Chicago Businesses to Raise $1million for City Gun Buyback
17 July 2008
Chicago Sun-Times
Mayor Daley wants to raise $1 million to buy back guns and remove them from Chicago streets, but the latest in a string of corporate fund-raisers got off to a slow start.
Sources said former Board of Education President Michael Scott was asked to co-sign a wave of fund-raising letters and make fund-raising phone calls after the initial response was lukewarm from a business community that's also being called upon to bankroll Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid.
Scott's calls... (GunPolicy.org)
Buyback Saw 20,000 Guns Destroyed in Pakistan, Shootings Due to Politics
17 July 2008
Daily Mail (Islamabad)
UNITED NATIONS — Reaffirming its determination to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, Pakistan on Wednesday called for addressing the root causes of conflicts to eliminate a major source of demand for such weapons.
"Focus on conflict prevention and dispute resolution is thus a sine qua non for the attainment of the common goals of strengthening peace and security in conditions of economic and social progress," Brig. (Ret.)... (GunPolicy.org)
Brooklyn Pastors, NYPD Pay $200 for Each Illegal Weapon in Gun Buyback
16 July 2008
NY1 TV News (New York)
A group of Brooklyn pastors joined forces with the NYPD and the Brooklyn district attorney's office Wednesday to get guns off the streets.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes announced a one-day gun buy-back initiative for Saturday, July 19.
Gun owners who possess illegal, functional guns can drop off the weapons at one of six Brooklyn churches in exchange for a $200 bank card. Hynes says he hopes the program will successfully... (GunPolicy.org)
Papua New Guinea Tells UN of 'Radical Action Plan' to Curb Illegal Guns
14 July 2008
Pacific Magazine
PORT MORESBY — Papua New Guinea Internal Security Minister Sani Rambi will announce an executable plan to deal with illegal guns when he returns from a four-day international forum on gun control in New York.
Rambi told Pacific Magazine said his delegation is comprised of PNG Police Commissioner Gari Baki and other government officials. They left Port Moresby yesterday morning to attend the Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms and Light Weapons in New York City,... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Buybacks May Fail in One Aim, But They Remain Vital in Phoenix
29 June 2008
Arizona Republic, Editorial
Look, a new gun-buyback program Phoenix will probably not result in any perceptible reduction in violent crime in the four south Phoenix neighborhoods where it's being held.If the buyback goes anything like the others across the country over the past decade, middle-age, law-abiding residents will turn in older guns, mostly revolvers, in return for $100 gift cards that can be used in any Bashas' or Food City stores.
The AK-47 rifles or the 9mm Glock pistol — weapons... (GunPolicy.org)
PNG Opposition Praises Minister for Gun Buyback Plan, Urges Much More
24 June 2008
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
The Opposition has praised Internal Security Minister Sani Rambi for taking a bold move to start acting on the recommendations of the National Guns Summit in dealing with the illegal gun issue.
Member for Dei Puri Ruing commended Mr Rambi for taking the initiative even though the Government had not acted to take follow-up actions since it was presented with the report in 2006.
However, Mr Ruing suggested that the full implementation of recommendations should be done... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Minister Plans Buyback of Illegal Guns in Papua New Guinea
23 June 2008
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
The Government is willing to buy back illegal guns from the possession of the ordinary Papua New Guinean Minister for Internal Security Sani Rambi has said.
Mr Rambi recently said unlawful guns in the hands of wrong people with criminal instincts must be removed as they were doing lots of damage and holding back the positive development progress of the country.
"As Minister responsible, I'm for the idea of buying back guns from people who illegally possess them," Mr... (GunPolicy.org)
National Gun Buyback Planned to Curb Crime in Papua New Guinea
23 June 2008
Radio New Zealand International (Pacific shortwave)
The Papua New Guinea Police Minister, Sani Rambi, says his Government is planning a nationwide gun buyback scheme as part of efforts to reduce crime.
He says too many illegal guns are in the hands of the wrong people.
Mr Rambi told the Post Courier newspaper he is weighing up on the issue of time and cost to attack the root cause of an upsurge in organised crime.
The paper quotes the Minister saying he is for the idea of buying back guns from people who illegally... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Radio New Zealand International (Pacific shortwave)
Guyana,Trinidad & Tobago,Caribbean,Brazil,Argentina
Women's Groups Demand to Know Where Caribbean Gangs Get Their Guns
5 March 2008
Stabroek News (Guyana)
A two-day meeting for parliamentarians and NGOs to review the impact and "responses to small arms diffusion and violence in the Caribbean" is set for Trinidad today and a women's group is asking where the gangs are getting guns and ammo for killings like those at Lusignan and Bartica .
According to a press release the Women's Institute for Alternative Development (WINAD) said the meeting hopes to explore a Caricom instrument to support implementation of the UN... (GunPolicy.org)
As Street Values Rise, US Gun Thieves, Interstate Gun Runners Get Bolder
4 March 2008
Virginian-Pilot (Virginia)
Most of us know the gun debate as a war of words — a battle of sound bites between this side and that.
The real front lines are on the streets, where good guns try to hold back the bad ones, and no one takes the time to hold rallies, give speeches or argue about the Second Amendment.
There, the struggle is as intense as ever.
"In so many murders and robberies, the weapon of choice is a gun," said Norfolk Police Chief Bruce P. Marquis. "Millions are being... (GunPolicy.org)
Over 88,000 Firearms Seized, Crime Falls in Yemen as Gun Ban Continues
3 March 2008
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
SANA'A, Yemen — Yemeni police have confiscated more than 88,000 firearms since a nationwide campaign to enforce a ban on carrying weapons in cities began in last August, the interior ministry said on Monday. It said in a statement that more than 3,000 weapons have been seized in major cities across the Arab country, and over 85,000 pieces were confiscated at checkpoints outside the capital Sana'a and other cities since August 23, 2007.
The ban, that includes... (GunPolicy.org)
White Male Suburban Gun Owners Flock to Oakland to Sell Guns at Buyback
1 March 2008
Contra Costa Times (California), Opinion
Contrary to your criticism of state Sen. Don Perata's, "One Less Gun," gun buy-back program as bungling, I want to thank Perata for enlightening, albeit indirectly, many Oakland residents as to the source of crime guns in Oakland, Richmond and all of the U.S.
I was at all three sites for the buy-back in the morning and spent the rest of the day at True Vine Church in West Oakland.
There was universal bewilderment at all of these out-of-towners, usually EuroAmerican... (GunPolicy.org)
Brazil Gun Deaths Outpaced Births: Gun Buyback Saw 8% Homicide Drop
28 February 2008
ISN Security Watch (Switzerland), Web Page
Results from a recently released study that measured population growth and homicides in Brazil between 1996 and 2006 revealed that homicides dropped by eight percent between 2003 and 2006, a time period that overlaps with a nationwide gun buy-back program during which nearly 500,000 firearms were removed from circulation.
Gun buy-back programs have met with mixed success in Latin America, but according to the study, authored by Julio Jacobo Waiselfisz, Brazil's gun... (GunPolicy.org)
First in Line at California Gun Buyback Were Dealers 'Selling' for a Nice Profit
23 February 2008
Oakland Tribune (California), Opinion
On Feb. 9, Oakland police, led by state Sen. Don Perata, D-Oakland, offered to buy handguns and assault weapons for $250 each, "no questions asked, no ID required." The "One Less Gun" buyback program attracted so many eager sellers that the money quickly ran out, but instead of closing up shop, the police handed out IOUs good for a future buyback. The Oakland police are now stuck with a bill for $170,000.
The buyback has been criticized as a poorly organized fiasco,... (GunPolicy.org)
US Basketball Star, Ex-Firearm Offender Donates $100,000 to Gun Buyback
16 January 2008
Hampton Roads Daily Press (Virginia)
WASHINGTON — Basketball star Allen Iverson is donating $100,000 to support the Newport News Police Department's "Gun Buy Back" program, U.S. Rep. Robert C. Scott announced Wednesday night.
The program, used in many major urban centers, offers money to residents who turn in guns to police, with no questions asked. The Newport News program is a joint effort of the police and the Peninsula Community Foundation.
Iverson, a Peninsula native, pledged support for the... (GunPolicy.org)
Owners of Illicit Guns in Papua New Guinea Suggest Buyback, Death Penalty
23 November 2007
National (Port Moresby)
Gun-related problems in the country will continue to stay unless the National Government introduces a "buy-back gun policy" or impose death penalty in the country.
Dokta Puk, who claimed to represent 100 criminals and ordinary villagers with guns in the Western Highlands province, who are willing to come out with their guns to assist police in the province, said the current laws were too lenient.
Mr Puk said unless the National Government imposed death penalty on any... (GunPolicy.org)
In Light of Finnish, US Shootings, Australian PM's Gun Ban Was a Godsend
9 November 2007
Gold Coast News (Queensland), Editorial
Prime Minister John Howard understood perfectly, back in 1996, why Australia had to ban guns from most households.
With the grief of the Port Arthur massacre still washing through the nation, the PM seized the opportunity to take firearms away from those who didn't really need them. His legislation cost Australia more than $500 million in a guns buy-back scheme and resulted in more than 650,000 weapons being taken out of the hands of owners.
The 35 people who died at... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Bounty, Crime Gun Tipsters' Line, Firearm Buyback Launched in Florida
11 September 2007
Times-Union (Florida)
BRUNSWICK — Glynn County police are taking aim at gun violence with a reward program targeting illegal firearms and people who use a gun to commit a crime.
Beginning today, police will pay a $1,000 bounty to people "who report a gun that was unlawfully obtained, or who report someone who used a gun in a crime," Police Chief Matt Doering told the Times-Union.
"I want to target guns specifically that we have a problem with. We're not looking at BB guns or some rusty... (GunPolicy.org)
Yemen Seizes 2,500 Firearms, Launches Buyback, Bans Guns in Cities
3 September 2007
PressTV (Tehran) / AGB / KB
SANA'A, Yemen — Police in Yemen have seized more than 2,500 firearms in the first week of a campaign to implement a ban on carrying weapons in cities.
The Interior ministry said in a statement that weapons have been confiscated at checkpoints outside the capital Sana'a and other major cities since August 23.
The campaign was aimed at reducing the visibility of arms that discourage tourism and investments in the country.
The ban includes bodyguards of... (GunPolicy.org)
Firearms in Australia: a Parliamentary Library Guide to Electronic Resources
9 August 2007
Parliamentary Library, Federal Parliament of Australia
Introduction
On 28 April 1996, 35 people were killed and 18 others were wounded at Port Arthur in Tasmania by an assailant using a semi-automatic rifle. In response, The Australasian Police Ministers' Council convened a special meeting on 10 May 1996 and agreed to a national plan for the regulation of firearms — the Nationwide Agreement on Firearms. This agreement banned self-loading rifles and self-loading and pump-action shotguns, introduced a nationwide... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Parliamentary Library, Federal Parliament of Australia
San Francisco 'Leads the Nation' with Toughest Gun Control Laws - Mayor
2 August 2007
San Francisco Sentinel
San Francisco today has the toughest gun control laws in the nation, Mayor Newsom said Wednesday as he signed a package of legislation into law.
With the District Attorney, Police Chief, and City legislators representing districts hard hit by gun violence at his side, Newsom also noted the City's gun buy-back project revived Saturday garnered success beyond expectation.
The July 29 Civic Center gun buy-back event retrieved 119 guns surrendered to police in return from... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Buy-back Trashes 6,705 Guns, Assault Weapons: 5,960 Handguns
22 July 2007
Chicago Sun-Times
Maybe it was because of Schanna Gayden, 13, killed in a park, buying fruit at a vendor's cart.
Or because of Enrique Chavez, 14, killed in a hail of gunfire while joyriding in his uncle's van.
Or maybe the inspiration was Blair Holt, 16, killed by a spray of bullets on a CTA bus.
"I think it's all of them — Siretha White, Starkesia Reed, Terrell Bosley … The list goes on," First Deputy Supt. Dana Starks said Saturday of the whopping 6,705 guns recovered in a... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Gun Buy-back Collects Almost 6,000 Handguns, Assault Weapons
21 July 2007
Chicago Tribune
Almost 6,000 handguns and assault weapons were turned over to Chicago police on Saturday in exchange for $100 debit cards, officials said. The third "Don't kill a Dream, Save a Life" program was a "huge success" and the most successful attempt at taking guns off the street, said police spokeswoman Monique Bond.
"In light of the recent tragedies with so many young people's lives being taken, I think that people are starting to recognize that guns are dangerous," Bond... (GunPolicy.org)
Savannah, Georgia Offers $2,500 for Tips Leading to Gun Seizure, Arrest
9 July 2007
Savannah Morning News (Georgia), Editorial
The problem with many gun buy-backs is that people bring in the most rickety, non-working firearms imaginable.
The guns that bad guys are actually using to commit crimes are rare gems at typical gun buy-back programs.
But that might not be the case with the plan just rolled out by the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department and the CrimeStoppers program.
That's because the appeal isn't for people to bring in their own firearms. It's for upstanding folks to... (GunPolicy.org)
Argentina Launches National Firearm Buyback to Slow Rising Gun Violence
15 June 2007
Inter Press Service News Agency
BUENOS AIRES — With strong support from peace and disarmament groups and the families of shooting victims, the Argentine government launched a programme Friday that encourages people to voluntarily swap their legal or illegal firearms for cash.
The disarmament campaign, similar to one that was carried out in Brazil in 2004, forms part of a comprehensive violence prevention policy, which includes stricter controls on both the legal and black market for guns.
In... (GunPolicy.org)
NSW Destroys 12,000 Illegal Firearms, Plus 17,000 Buyback Handguns
21 July 2004
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
SYDNEY — Two World War II-era sub-machine guns and an Israeli army pistol are among thousands of weapons to be destroyed by NSW police this week.
A gun amnesty, which began last October with a national buyback scheme, ended earlier this month after netting more than 12,000 illegal weapons.
Of those, 8560 were rifles, 2246 shotguns, 1156 handguns and 113 other weapons, police said. Another 17,000 handguns and 68,000 parts were bought back and $A25.4 million paid in... (GunPolicy.org)
Six Month Queensland Gun Amnesty Begins
3 July 2004
Herbert River Express (Queensland)
Firearms owners are encouraged to hand in any unregistered or illegal weapons during the firearms amnesty which began on Thursday.
Police Minister Judy Spence said the amnesty was being held in Queensland to allow people to surrender illegal or unwanted firearms without penalty.
"While the public will not be compensated for their weapons, under the terms of the amnesty, people will not be prosecuted for possessing firearms illegally if they surrender those firearms to... (GunPolicy.org)
The Impact of Gun Control Measures in Australia
1 July 2004
Small Arms Survey 2004: Rights at Risk. Oxford University Press
Despite reports of a crime wave in Australia following recent restrictions on the private ownership of firearms, evidence actually shows sweeping reductions in gun-related death, injury, and crime.
On 10 May 1996, 12 days after 35 people were shot dead by a single gunman at Port Arthur, Tasmania, Australia's state and federal governments agreed to enact wide-ranging gun control measures. Between June 1996 and August 1998, new restrictions were progressively brought... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Small Arms Survey 2004: Rights at Risk. Oxford University Press
660 Illegal Handguns Surrendered to ACT Police in Federal Buyback
3 January 2004
Canberra Times
A handgun amnesty and buy-back in the ACT has netted 660 weapons, around 100 fewer than expected by police.
The amnesty results were issued on the same day as a study by the Australian Institute of Criminology. The study found handguns were being used more often in firearms-related deaths.
Detective Sergeant Mick Sinclair said a variety of different weapons had been handed in, and authorities had received strong cooperation from licensed gun owners and clubs.... (GunPolicy.org)
PM Brokers New Federal Gun Buyback, Bans 500 Types of Handgun
6 December 2002
Age (Melbourne)
About 500 types of handguns will be banned from July 1 under a deal brokered yesterday by Prime Minister John Howard and Victorian Premier Steve Bracks.
The ban is three times tougher than the proposal put forward by federal and state police ministers last week.
A six-month amnesty for shooters to hand in illegal handguns and a government buy-back scheme will begin on July 1.
The agreement comes seven weeks after a licensed shooter killed two students and injured... (GunPolicy.org)
McGrady Aims at Firearm Amnesty
24 April 2002
Australian (Sydney)
Laws allowing owners of illegal guns to hand their firearms over to police without penalty will be introduced soon in Queensland.
Police Minister Tony McGrady is preparing to brief Cabinet on the proposal, designed to target the hundreds of thousands of illegal semi-automatic guns believed to remain hidden in the community. It comes five years after an amnesty introduced in the wake of the Port Arthur massacre prompted Queenslanders to turn over 130,000 guns to... (GunPolicy.org)
25 July 2001
West Australian (Perth)
WA Police have launched a gun crackdown to flush out thousands of illegal weapons.
The operation will target the State's 85,000 gun owners and their 200,000 weapons. Gun owners will have to go to their local police station to present some identification, their gun licence and hand over their weapon to inspected.
The audit was prompted by a damning report by Auditor General Des Pearson which accused police of not screening properly the criminal records, mental fitness... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Buybacks Fail to Cut Crime, Killings
9 June 2000
Chicago Tribune
WASHINGTON — Piles of weapons handed over to the police for a few dollars make compelling photographs, but repeated studies of politically popular gun buyback programs across the country have found no detectable effect on violent crime or on firearms deaths.
What's more, the guns and the owners that turn up for buybacks represent neither the kinds of weapons nor the types of people generally involved in gun crimes, said several researchers who have studied the... (GunPolicy.org)
Governments from Coast to Coast Spend Millions to Buy Back Guns
26 May 2000
San Francisco Chronicle
WASHINGTON — Sell a rifle to a law officer, stop a crime. Trade a pistol for a McDonald's voucher, prevent a shooting.
Atlanta bought 837 guns from residents last month, and Houston collected 779 earlier this month. Citizens sold 282 guns to authorities in Las Cruces, N.M., 754 in Baltimore, eight in Prichard, Ala., and 2,192 in the District of Columbia.
"What's the value of a life saved?" asked Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell. "We are going to do this again and again... (GunPolicy.org)
19 May 2000
Washington Post
Sell a rifle to a law officer, stop a crime. Trade a pistol for a McDonald's voucher, prevent a shooting.
Atlanta bought 837 guns from residents last month, and Houston collected 779 earlier this month. Citizens sold 282 guns to authorities in Las Cruces, N.M., 754 in Baltimore, eight in Prichard, Ala., and 2,192 in the District.
"What's the value of a life saved?" said Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell. "We are going to do this again and again and again. When we run out of... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian States Renege on Gun Law Deal, Lose Millions in Federal Cash
26 February 1999
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
Taxpayers will suffer a double financial blow after the Federal Government yesterday refused to repay millions of dollars Victoria spent on buying back illegal weapons.
Justice Minister Amanda Vanstone rejected Victoria's compensation claim because the Kennett Government changed national uniform gun laws agreed by police ministers after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
In 1996, taxpayers paid a 1.7 per cent Medicare levy — a one-off increase from 1.5 per cent — so... (GunPolicy.org)
Unlike Australia, New Zealand Won't Bite Bullet on Hardline Gun Laws
27 August 1998
Courier-Mail (Brisbane)
New Zealand has had more than its fair share of gun massacres, but for years governments have gone weak at the knees every time the issue is raised.
In February last year, a disturbed young man, Stephen Anderson, took a shotgun from a cabinet at the family holiday-home in Raurimu in the Central North Island and killed six people including members of his family and their friends.
He was found by the Armed Offenders police team shortly afterwards running naked through... (GunPolicy.org)