Firearms Policy Summary

Gun control: the sane alternative

The next stage in protecting communities from the misuse of firearms is to ban semi-automatic handguns. After the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, all semi-automatic longarm weapons were banned. For fifteen years prior to this tragedy, an average of 617 Australians died each year from firearms injuries. In the seven years since the new gun laws have come into force, the average rate has almost halved to 331 deaths per year.

The Greens are committed to extending this ban to semi-automatic handguns. Since 1991 there has been a 36% increase in homicides committed with handguns. Research shows that the less guns are available in the community, the less likely someone will be shot by a firearm.

Semi-automatic handguns are preferred by people involved in criminal activity. They are easy to conceal and easy to transport, particularly within urban areas. They are the favoured weapon for drive-by shootings.

The gun control laws passed in 1996 have done little to reduce the number of guns in homes. The storage of guns and ammunition within homes often fails to meet legislated requirements. Theft of firearms from homes is a significant source of illegal possession of weapons.

Following the 1996 Dunblane massacre, handguns have been completely banned In Britain.

The Greens support:

• Australia-wide uniformity of gun laws;
  
• mechanisms to stop gun licences being issued to people who are not fit to hold a licence;
  
• restrictions on the sale of ammunition: sold only by licensed gun shops to licensed shooters, and limited to ammunition that suits firearms registered in the licensee's name;
  
• a ban on dangerous weapons: military assault-style firearms, automatic and semi-automatic firearms, and mail-order sales of firearms and ammunition;
  
• laws requiring all outlets to keep a register of all ammunition bought and sold;
  
• education on the dangers of firearms, funding for research into preventing gun violence and programs that reduce gun violence;
  
• confiscation of all firearms and licences from people who show themselves unfit to hold a licence, including those who commit domestic or other interpersonal violence; and
  
• a permanent amnesty for the surrender of unauthorised firearms and strict penalties for possessing unauthorised firearms.