Australian firearms buyback public education campaign - summary of findings
June/July 1997
Introduction
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The latest Newspoll research builds on previous surveys conducted for the Australian Firearms Buyback Public Education Campaign in June/July 96 and December 96.
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It is based on a representative sample of 2,400 Australians aged 18 years and over. The study, conducted by phone nationally in June and July 1997, was designed to monitor the effectiveness of the buyback in terms of compliance rates, consumers' self-reported gun ownership and attitudes to the gun laws.
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It also, for the first time gives a reading on just how many firearms there are in the Australian community. Until now, the Commonwealth has not had reliable data on which to calculate a national figure.
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The buyback campaign has known since June 1996, through quantitative research (Newspoll) and qualitative research (Elliott & Shanshan), that gun owners, while they did not like the new laws, intended to comply with the new laws. The intention to comply rates have always been high, according to the Newspoll research. This latest report shows that that intention has been translated into action.
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The qualitative research also showed that gun owners saw themselves as law abiding citizens and resented any implication or inference that they were not law abiding citizens.
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While there is less than 36 days yet to run in the buyback, the latest research news is extremely positive. They buyback is clearly working. The gun owners have honoured their promise to comply.
Gun ownership and compliance with the buyback
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The Newspoll research indicates that 9% of adult Australians (approximately 1.2 million people) are current gun owners.
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Despite the proportion of the population handing in guns due to the amnesty increasing measurably, the incidence of gun ownership has changed comparatively little over the past 12 months. A key reason is that many gun owners are in possession of more than one gun, and may hand in their (soon to be illegal) firearm while still owning a legal firearm.
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Newspoll estimates that 12 months ago 45% of gun owners (at that time) were in possession of firearms prohibited under the Australasian Police Ministers' Resolutions in May 1996. Of these, it is estimated that approximately three-quarters have now handed in or disposed of their illegal firearms due to the amnesty, and are no longer in possession of an illegal gun - though many of these remain owners of legal guns.
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The current ownership status of those who owned a gun 12 months ago is as follows....
a) Sixteen per cent have disposed of their illegal firearms and are no longer firearm owners.
b) 17 per cent have disposed of their illegal firearms because of the amnesty but are still owners of legal guns.
c) None per cent have not disposed of any guns and still own an illegal gun.
d) Three per cent have disposed of illegal firearms but still own an illegal gun.
e) Fifty-three per cent did not own an illegal firearm last year, nor do they currently own an illegal firearm.
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More than 8 in 10 current gun owners state they would be likely to hand in an illegal firearm if they were to own one.
How many firearms are there?
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For the first time we know how many firearms are in the community. Australians currently own approximately 2.5 million firearms. This is substantially less than figures quoted by both pro-gun groups and the anti-gun groups.
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Based on there being 2.5 million firearms, each Australian gun owner has in his or her possession approximately 2.1 firearms.
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