In 1981, after examining Australian and other data at the time, Richard Harding stated that “whatever arguments are made for restricting or regulating private ownership of firearms, suicide patterns are not suicide patterns. [81] He cited an international analysis of twenty developed countries from 1968: “Cultural factors seem to influence suicide rates much more than the availability and use of firearms. As a result, suicide rates do not appear to be easily affected by the fact that firearms are less available. [82] However, Harding later supported the Gun Possession Laws in New South Wales in 1985, saying that laws that help slow the growth of Australia`s gun inventory are to be welcomed. [83] At the federal level, the importation of firearms is subject to the restrictions set out in section 4F and Schedule 6 of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations, 1956 (Cth). [14] § Introduction of uniform standards for the safety and storage of firearms; Clause 7 replaces the current section 145 of the Act with a new section. In his speech at second reading, the Minister stated that the amendment “will remove the current definition of `proof of possession` and introduce a new `presumed possession` provision, which will “shift attention from a person`s relationship with a firearm to the relationship between the person and the premises or vehicle in which the firearm is located; is relocated.” [Footnote 22] This research note provides background information on the development of firearms legislation and regulations in Victoria, as well as information on key provisions of the Firearms Amendment (Trafficking and Other Measures) Bill 2015 (the Bill). The main objectives of the bill are as follows: In 2009, a study published in the Journal of Sociology examined the rate of gun suicide in Queensland. They found that “gun suicides continue to decline in Queensland” and that this is “more likely to occur based on ongoing gun controls.” [94] In 2003, Samantha Lee, as president of the NCGC, was funded by a Churchill Grant to publish an article[117] arguing that current small arms legislation is too flexible, that police officers who are shooters have a conflict of interest, and that private possession of licensed firearms is in itself a threat to women and children. [118] In Australia, state and territory governments are responsible for regulating the use, possession and sale of firearms. Under the agreement, all jurisdictions were asked to implement a unified tracing system that requires potential gun owners to determine a “genuine reason” for the possession of a firearm.

The agreement states that personal protection is not “considered a genuine reason for the possession, possession or use of a firearm.” There have been three firearms amnesties in New South Wales: in 2001, 2003 and 2009, 63,000 handguns were delivered during the first two amnesties and more than 4,323 handguns were surrendered during the third amnesty. During the third amnesty, 21,615 firearms registrations were received by the Firearms Registry. The firearms handed over were all destroyed. [60] Gun Control Australia President Samantha Lee states that while these firearms have been classified in higher categories, placing the five-shot eagle in Category B “will have very little impact on the inclusion of these weapons.” In 2003, researchers at Monash University`s Accident Research Center studied fatalities and fatal firearms in the years before and after gun regulations. They concluded that there had been a “dramatic” decrease in gun deaths, and suicides in particular, due to the “implementation of strong regulatory reform.” [86] In all proceedings under this Act, evidence that a person lives on property or land or in which a firearm is found is evidence and, unless there is evidence to the contrary, evidence that the person possessed the firearm. Two studies looked at the effects of the NFA on mass shootings. Both studies showed that there were mass shootings in Australia before the law was passed, but there were none after that. In particular, Chapman, Alpers and Jones (2016), who defined mass shootings as those in which five or more people, with the exception of the shooter, were shot dead, found that there were 13 mass shootings in Australia between 1979 and the introduction of the NFA in 1996, but none between 1997 and May 2016.

Using the broader definition of four or more people killed, McPhedran and Baker (2011) reported that there were 12 such incidents between 1980 and 1996 and none between 1997 and 2009. McPhedran and Baker (2011) also reported that there had been no mass shootings in New Zealand since 1997 (although three between 1980 and 1996 and one in February 1997, while NFA regulations on the purchase of firearms were implemented in Australia), although New Zealand has not introduced a similar ban on certain firearms. Based on this analysis, the authors suggest that a decrease in mass shootings in Australia is unlikely to be due to the NFA, as similar reductions have been observed elsewhere without laws such as the NFA. However, New Zealand passed a law in 1992 (but not later) that tightened its gun regulations. .