gun control

Question 1

The Howard administration pursued 2 schemes regarding gun control known as _____ and ______

Answer 1

the ‘gun buyback scheme’

National Firearms Agreement (1996)

Question 2

Under the gun buyback scheme_____

Answer 2

Gun owners were paid to return their guns, funded by a one off tax levy.

Over 640,000 guns (estimated ⅓ of guns in Australia at the time) were handed in, in the months after the law was enacted
2009, gun return increased to over 1 million

Question 3

A series of restrictions on firearms were imposed, known as the National Firearms Agreement (1996), including:

Answer 3

National Firearms Agreement (1996)

• Ban on a range of weapons that had been previously legal to buy: fully automatic, semi-automatic, pump-action, and self-loading guns.
• Strict limitations on who could legally sell and supply firearms.
  New licensing and permit requirements to possess firearms;
• Strict new rules about the storage of firearms.
• A 28-day cooling-off period became mandatory for anyone applying for a firearm license, as did compulsory safety courses, and the need to demonstrate a “genuine need” for owning a firearm. This cannot include self-defence or home safety.

Question 4

What was the impact of the ‘gun buyback scheme’ and National Firearms Agreement (1996) on firearm homicides stats?

Answer 4

Reduction in firearm homicide stats

• 1995 - 0.4/100,000
• 2005, firearm homicides decreased to 0.1/100,000
• National Firearms Agreement → rate of decrease of firearm homicides doubled
• 1990: 614 firearms deaths (homicides, suicides, accidents) in Australia.
• 2016: dropped to 274.

Question 5

Cases which question the effectiveness of the ‘gun buyback scheme’ and National Firearms Agreement (1996)

Answer 5

Questioning the effectiveness of the schemes

• New South Wales government had amnesties in 2001, 2003, and 2009, in which 67,000 illegal handguns were surrendered.
• Gun incidents including the Lindt cafe siege (2014) → led to ‘three month amnesty period’ program in 2017, were over 51,000 unregistered firearms were handed in response to a number of gun incidents, such as the 2014 Lindt Cafe Siege in Sydney.

Question 6

Prior to the Port Arthur incident and the resultant ‘gun buyback scheme’ and National Firearms Agreement (1996), how many gun deaths/year were there in the 1980s?

Answer 6

700 gun deaths per year in Australia

Question 7

How long did the government take to enact legislation in reaction to the Port Arthur massacre?

Answer 7

less than 3.5 months

Question 8

According to the ABC article 2016
‘Post-Port Arthur gun laws put end to mass shootings, saw decline in firearm killings: report’

Answer 8

A mass shooting is defined as four or more people shot in one incident.

“In the 18 years prior to Port Arthur, Australia experienced 13 fatal mass shootings in which 104 victims were killed”

“There have been no fatal mass shootings in the 20 years since Australia introduced tough gun laws and the overall rate in firearm killings has declined, a study has shown”