Firearms in the Crime Prevention Equation

There are some people who take the view that unrestricted access to firearms is an essential tool of crime prevention. This chapter sets out an opposite view: that there is no evidence that guns control crime. Indeed, the evidence is that the presence of a firearm elevates the possibility of fatal harm to innocent victimsVictims. The chapter compares data from a gun rich society (the USA) with Australia where gun controlGun control is a key political (and well accepted) mandate. It looks at the 1996 post-Port Arthur gun buyback scheme and the gun amnesties that have been legislated since that time. It surmises that Australians are fortunate that the number of legal guns in the community is manageable, and that authorities have implemented appropriate registrationGun registration and licensingGun owner licensing policies that guard against the risk posed by legal and illegal guns. It concludes by listing some recommendations for further reform from the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee of the Australian ParliamentAustralian Parliament.