Western Australia and the fewer guns myth
by Paul Peake
Australian Shooters Journal
November 1999
Recently released Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures show that despite more than 60 years of strict gun control, Western Australia is now one of the least safest places in the country. According to data contained in the latest edition of the Bureau's 'Crime and Safety' report, (1) when it comes to break-ins, attempted break-ins and car theft, WA leads the nation. Similarly, assaults, robberies and murder in WA show prevalence rates well above the national average.
Most of the anti-gun measures forced on Australia's states and territories following the Australasian Police Ministers' Council (APMC) meeting back in 1996 were already well established in WA, including comprehensive registration, a ban on semi-automatic centre-fire rifles and the need to demonstrate a 'genuine reason' before being allowed to possess a firearm - including air-rifles. The WA Police Service has a long history of antipathy towards private gun ownership dating back to WA's first Firearms Act in 1931. The combination of strict regulation and a generally anti-gun outlook on the part of the police is reflected in the state's consistently low rates of gun ownership. Table 1 shows the decline in the ratio of private firearms ownership in WA during the past 50 years.
Western Australia's comparative lack of firearms does not appear to have had any effect on the state's burgeoning crime problem however. Table 2 contains recent ABS information (2) showing that assaults in WA are higher than in both Queensland and Tasmania - two states with historically moderate gun laws but considerably higher than the national average.
Table 1. Source: WA Police Service Annual Reports and ABS data
According to ABS data, in 1998 WA also had the second-highest armed and unarmed robbery rates in the country, with 76.17 and 71.09 victims per 100,000 persons respectively (see Table 3).(3) Western Australia's murder rate is also higher than most other jurisdictions with 1.69 victims per 100,000 persons - 0.18 above the national average of 1.51.
Table 2. Source: ABS data
Since 1996, whenever they have been faced with evidence undermining their position on firearms, the catchcry from both the government and the anti-gun lobby has been "wait and see". The Western Australian situation provides an important insight into the likely long-term effects of the Federal Government's anti-gun push however.
Table 3. Source: ABS data
Rate of victims of armed and unarmed robbery per 100,000 persons
If the measures forced on the various states and territories are indeed effective in delivering Mr Howard's promise of a 'safer society', then one would expect to see the benefits already in evidence in WA. After all, the major components of the APMC resolutions have been an integral part of WA's firearm licensing regime for more than six decades. Firearms have historically been difficult to come by lawfully in WA, with the police frequently hindering shooters seeking additional guns. South Australia, with 20 per cent fewer people, has almost twice the number of registered firearms per licence holder.
If the notion that 'fewer guns equals fewer crimes' is indeed correct, then it should be reflected in WA's crime rate. However, with ABS figures as a guide this is clearly not the case.
Even firearm related crime in WA does not show any significant contrast compared to other jurisdictions. Notably, despite strict firearm controls, the number of suicides in WA has risen considerably during the past decade.(4)
The state now has one of the highest suicide rates per 100,000 persons in the country. The government and the anti-gun movement are faced with a mounting body of evidence that clearly shows that harsh gun controls have little bearing on crime, impacting as they do on the law-abiding as opposed to the law-breakers. The idea that the benefits of the APMC's anti-gun measures will become self-evident at some nebulous point in the future is offset by the Western Australian experience.
Western Australia provides an illustration of the real effects over the long term. Sixty years of strict firearm control have certainly not made the state a 'safer society'.
In many respects it appears to be more dangerous than some parts of the country, which are just beginning to experience draconian gun laws.
1. (1999). 1998 Crime and Safety: Australia. Canberra: Australian Bureau
of Statistics.
2. (1999). 1998 Recorded Crime: Australia. Canberra: Australian Bureau
of Statistics.
3. ibid.
4. (1999). 1997 Causes of Death: Australia. Canberra: Australian Bureau
of Statistics.
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