Gun Control and What's Happening in Australia

[Two Flints]

Hello SSS,

Pulled this from a thread at Stickbow.com, a Traditional Archery web site.  Thought you might find it interesting to read. Herbert, your thoughts on this post?

"Hi Yanks,

I thought you all would like to see the real figures from Down Under. It has now been 12 months since gun owners in Australia were forced by new law to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed by our own government, a program costing Australia taxpayers more than $500 million dollars.

The first year results are now in: Australia-wide, homicides are up 3.2 percent. Australia-wide, assaults are up 8.6 percent. Australia-wide, armed robberies are up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent!) In the state of Victoria alone, homicides with firearms are now up 300 percent. (Note that while the law-abiding citizens turned guns in, the criminals did not and criminals still possess their guns!) While figures over the previous 25 years showed a steady decrease in armed robbery with firearms, this has changed drastically upward in the past 12 months, since the criminals now are guaranteed that their prey is unarmed. There has also been a dramatic increase in break-ins and assaults of the elderly.

Australian politicians are at a loss to explain how public safety has decreased, after such monumental effort and expense was expended in successfully ridding Australian society of guns. You won't see this data on the American evening news or hear your governor or members of the state assembly disseminating this information. The Australian experience proves it.

Guns in the hands of honest citizens save lives and property and yes, gun-control laws affect only the law-abiding citizens. Take note Americans, and Canadians now, before it's too late!"

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

There is a lot of articles and reports online on this topic.  Here is an article from the Wall Street Journaol from December 27, 1012;

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323777204578195470446855466.html

[Herbert]

To conpare Australia to the US in reguard to firarms does not add up with me.There has been a decline in firearms murders in Australia since the gun consfication,but this in a continuing trend that that had been going on for years,in New Zeland which has or had a very simular lifstyle and mind set to Australia they did not ban semi auto rifles and the downward gun crime trend is the same there.These days in Australia gang related shooting sem to be on the news every other day,firarms used in these shooting are almost allways iligily imported an are never registerd,but for some reason the legal firarms oners still get blamed for suply of guns.Make no mistake all these gun laws no mater were they are brought up are about control of the populas not to make a safer comunity,I have noticed the gun grabers never seem to bring up Switsland were having a machine gun in the home of every military aged citercenis part and parcel of being Swiss,do they have a gun problem,the Swiss dont think so but EU thinks that it is a very bad idea as its freedoms could be contagious,imagine the were the people could stand up to the goverment and win,now we can not have that here can we,got to ceep the dirty unwashed in there place say what

[FriscoCounty]

That posting is old and problematic.  If you look at the current statistics, the numbers change
(Crime from Australian Government's Institute of Criminology: http://www.aic.gov.au/publications.html,
Population from Australian Bureau of Statistics: http://www.abs.gov.au/)

Comparing the rate per 100k population between 1996 and 2010, then
Homicide down 38% (1.92 vs 1.17)
Assault up 24% (620 vs 771)
Rape up 1% (79 vs 80)
Robbery down 26% (89 vs 66)
Kidnapping up 5% (2.6 vs 2.7)

[FriscoCounty]

Comparing the rate per 100k population between 1996 and 2010, then
Homicide down 38% (1.92 vs 1.17)
Assault up 24% (620 vs 771)
Rape up 1% (79 vs 80)
Robbery down 26% (89 vs 66)
Kidnapping up 5% (2.6 vs 2.7)

Just out of curiosity I decided to compare it against US rates over the same period

Change over period (1996 - 2010) US vs Australia
Homicide -35% vs -38%
Assault -35% vs +24%
Rape -24% vs +1%
Robbery -41% vs -26%
Kidnapping ?

2010 US Rate vs Australia Rate
Homicide  4.8 vs 1.17
Assault  252.8 vs 771
Rape 27.7 vs 80
Robbery 119.3 vs 66
Kidnapping ? vs 2.7

(Source FBI UCR: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-2011/tables/table-1)

[Herbert]

I would take the Australian numbers with a grain of salt,they just do not agree with what is reported by the media,who are reporting shootings in Sydney by its self ad higher than the number put out by the govermen

[Fingers McGee]

I would take the Australian numbers with a grain of salt,they just do not agree with what is reported by the media,who are reporting shootings in Sydney by its self ad higher than the number put out by the govermen

I'm sure the media over (under?) there are just as bias and dishonest as they are here; so, why would you believe them?  of course the other figures come from the gubmint, so ..............................................

[Herbert]

I have given up beliving any thing that comes from te media or the goverment years ago.The media at lest try to back there case up by showing blood in the street and bullet cases lying around,then 10 minits latter the police commisiner comes on and states how gun crime has droped since the baned semi autos rifles  and saving us from oure selves.clearly one or booth are not telling thing the way the are