News Desk

MEDIA RELEASE: SIFA SLAMS GUN CONTROL AUSTRALIA’S REPORT.

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Shooting Industry Foundation of Australia (SIFA) CEO James Walsh has called out the latest report (Gun control in Australia An update on firearms data and policies) by Gun Control Australia (GCA) and the Australia Institute as “an ideological attempt to vilify law-abiding firearm owners with zero solutions that would have any impact on community safety.”

“The report attempts to draw a link between an increase of legal firearm ownership in Australia and an increased danger to public safety, but this has been researched extensively, and the data just does not agree with this assumption, in fact, it suggests otherwise.” Mr Walsh said.

Mr Walsh was also critical of the misleading nature in how the opinion polling on firearms laws was conducted.

“The survey questions were clearly designed to produce a specific response rather than capture genuine public sentiment.

“Respondents weren’t even asked if they understood the laws in their own state. Without a level of understanding being established, how were respondents supposed to provide informed opinions on this subject?

“It’s no surprise GCA got the answers they were after.” Mr Walsh stated.

SIFA’s own research in 2019 paints a different picture, revealing that:

  • 73% of Australians do not support tighter firearms controls.
  • 85% of Australians see no need for additional firearms regulations.

“This report shamelessly tries to make Australians fear law-abiding firearm owners.

“The reality is that Australia’s existing systems strike a balance between legitimate firearm use and ownership for work, sport or hunting and public safety.

“In fact, firearms homicides and crime has continued to decrease even though we are seeing a higher number of Australians own and use firearms.” Mr Walsh said.

Mr Walsh warns governments to not take this report on face value.

“Governments around the country must take reports like the one produced by the Australia Institute with a grain of salt, especially when it is commissioned by an ideological group, is misleading and unfairly targets law abiding Australians while ignoring the evidence.

“The Australian recreational shooting and hunting industry contributes an enormous amount to the economy, conservatively estimated to be at least $2.4b in economical contributions and supporting 19,500 full time equivalent jobs and is constantly placed under scrutiny by small number of campaigners who don’t represent the average Australian.

“To continue making a meaningful impact on community safety, governments need to remain focused on the criminal possession and use of firearms as the data proves this approach is working!” Mr Walsh said.

Supporting Research:

“The Department does not believe that the tests set out in the National Firearms Agreement for the possession or use of firearms need to be amended. Further, putting additional restrictions on the legal ownership of firearms would not necessarily reduce firearm-related crime.”

Attorney-General’s Department. (2014). Submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee: Inquiry into the ability of Australian law enforcement authorities to eliminate gun-related violence in the community. Retrieved from https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Legal_and_Constitutional_Affairs/Illicit_firearms


“No evidence was found to suggest that increasing numbers of legally owned firearms are associated with increasing levels of crime; rather, modest negative associations were found between levels of legal gun ownership and violent firearm crime.”

McPhedran, S. (2013). More guns … more or less crime? An Australian perspective on an international question. Crime Prevention and Community Safety, 15(2), 127–133. https://doi.org/10.1057/cpcs.2012.17


“Eleven percent of homicide incidents in 2022–23 involved a firearm, lower than the overall 17 percent of incidents using a firearm between 1989–90 and 2022–23.”

Australian Institute of Criminology. (2024). Homicide in Australia 2022–23 (Statistical Report 46). Retrieved from https://www.aic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-06/sr46_homicide_in_australia_2022-23_v3.pdf


Recorded crime statistics show that violent offences involving firearms or knives are generally stable or decreasing.  The interactive graphs below show that number of murders, attempted murders, assaults and robberies involving knives or firearms have been decreasing over the past two decades.

NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. (2024). Assault and robbery incidents involving a knife or firearm (October 2004 to September 2024) [Chart]. Firearm and knife violence statistics. Retrieved from https://bocsar.nsw.gov.au/topic-areas/weapons.html


ENDS

Media Enquiries:

James Walsh – CEO

james.walsh@sifa.net.au

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