The Sporting Shooters Association of Australia Inc. said today that it welcomed a new Australian Institute of Criminology report showing that less than one quarter of one percent of Australia's 2,000,000+ registered firearms are stolen annually.
SSAA spokesperson Mr Gary Fleetwood, said that contrary to the anti-gun lobby's claims, the report noted that handguns were the type of firearm least likely to be taken from licensed owners.
Mr Fleetwood went on to say “While the theft of any firearm is cause for concern, the fact that the number of guns stolen from legitimate owners has declined markedly over the past few years shows that most shooters are doing the right thing and securing their firearms properly.”
Mr Fleetwood also said the SSAA was in the process of inviting government to support its national education campaign – “We've been talking to state and Federal authorities for sometime about a program aimed at encouraging owners to secure their firearms and we'll be raising the matter at the forthcoming Australasian Police Minister's meeting in Darwin via a comprehensive submission. The timing of the AIC's report couldn't be better, it highlights what we've been saying all along – properly secured firearms are harder to steal and less stolen guns means a good outcome for everyone.”