Australian Gun Laws Essay
Australia has had severe gun laws since the year 1997 after the fatal massacre shooting in Port Arthur, executed by Martin Bryant, which resulted in the death of 35 people while injuring 23. There have always been low levels of violent crimes associated with firearms, particularly in the 20th century, yet because of their low priority; public concern levels remained very low. In the last 2 decades, the government has put in place strict gun laws following several high profile mass murders and a large media campaign. The first decade of the new gun laws saw a 59% drop in Australian gun-homicides, while statistics related to non-firearm related homicides remained relatively similar. As for mass shootings, we’ve gone from 11 a decade (from the
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The number of licensed gun owners in Australia is close to 765,000, which is around 5.2% of the Australian population, with these firearms being used only for hunting purposes, controlling feral animals such as rats that destroy private farm land, collecting and target shooting. Even paint ball guns now need a permit. One of the reforms introduced was that people need to present a justifiable need to have a weapon, it has never been a justifiable reason, nor should it ever be, to own a handgun to protect yourself or others from a home invasion or to use for self-defence.
The new laws put in place under the 1996 National Agreement on Firearms state that anyone wishing to possess or use a firearm must first obtain a Licence, which can only be acquired by someone over the age of 18. The owner of the firearm must possess a secure storage unit for this weapon. Before purchasing a firearm one must firstly obtain a Permit to Acquire. This permit has a 28 day delay before it can be issued. In some states, Victoria included, this is waived for second and subsequent firearms of the same class. A genuine reason must be provided for each firearm, relating to the justifiable reasons stated earlier. Every firearm owned in Australia receives a serial number after registration. Some states allow one to store or borrow another person’s firearm if the person borrowing it already own one of the same
The number of licensed gun owners in Australia is close to 765,000, which is around 5.2% of the Australian population, with these firearms being used only for hunting purposes, controlling feral animals such as rats that destroy private farm land, collecting and target shooting. Even paint ball guns now need a permit. One of the reforms introduced was that people need to present a justifiable need to have a weapon, it has never been a justifiable reason, nor should it ever be, to own a handgun to protect yourself or others from a home invasion or to use for self-defence.
The new laws put in place under the 1996 National Agreement on Firearms state that anyone wishing to possess or use a firearm must first obtain a Licence, which can only be acquired by someone over the age of 18. The owner of the firearm must possess a secure storage unit for this weapon. Before purchasing a firearm one must firstly obtain a Permit to Acquire. This permit has a 28 day delay before it can be issued. In some states, Victoria included, this is waived for second and subsequent firearms of the same class. A genuine reason must be provided for each firearm, relating to the justifiable reasons stated earlier. Every firearm owned in Australia receives a serial number after registration. Some states allow one to store or borrow another person’s firearm if the person borrowing it already own one of the same