An Australia Institute report on gun ownership has prompted a row between the institute and the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia, after the institute drew what the association said was a false connection between crime and the number of guns kept lawfully by shooting sports enthusiasts.
“Sport Shooting in Australia is safe and does not compromise public safety,” Sporting Shooters CEO Tom Kenyon said, adding there was “no evidence to support the ocnclusion that legal firearms pose a problem for Australia.”
The Australia Institute illustrated its report with police information that the number of seizures of illegally held guns had nearly doubled in one year, particularly after raids on outlaw motorcycle gangs.
In new findings on 29 January, the Australia Institute claimed “alarming trends in firearm ownership across Australia,” showing that the number of guns in private hands had grown significantly since the Port Arthur massacre, and regulation was failing to keep pace with community expectations.
The shooters association, however, said the number of guns lawfully possessed by law abiding licensed owners had nothing to do with crimes committed by people in unlawful possession of weapons.
The Australia Institute listed “key findings” including that “firearms are not confined to rural areas” and an average firearms licence holder “has more than four guns.”
But Mr Kenyon said gun numbers on lawful registers had nothing to do with unlawful use or ownership of guns by criminals and Australian gun deaths had dropped despite increased numbers of guns, indicating the system was working.
