User:Mozart/Firearms

General principles

 * Any legislation must be as simple and clear as possible.
 * Firearms licensing schemes must be simple, effective and evidence-based.
 * Firearms licensing and sales must not be arbitrary.
 * General uniformity and reciprocity between states and territories is desirable, but states and territories should still retain some control.
 * The general feeling of safety within Australian society must be maintained.
 * A person's access to firearms should be prevented or restricted if they pose a genuine risk to the safety of others.
 * Firearms should not be confiscated unless they have been illegally obtained, are improperly stored, or their owners or operators pose a genuine risk to the safety of others.
 * Efficient, expedient and thorough background checks should be made at the time a firearm is purchased to ensure that a person does not pose a genuine risk to the safety of others.

Factual assumptions

 * Between 1989 and 2012, knives were used more often than firearms in homicides. Source.
 * Between 1989 and 2007, the use of knives in homicides increased slightly. Source.
 * Between 1989 and 2007, the use of firearms in homicides halved. Source.
 * The decrease in the use of firearms in homicides became more steady from 1996 onwards. Source.
 * The use of firearms in homicides has steadily decreased since about 1971. Source.
 * From 1993 to 2007 the number of murders was generally consistent, with a downward trend beginning in 1999. Source.
 * From 1995 to 2006 there was a sharp increase in the use of handguns in homicides. Source.
 * The worst massacre, mass murder or killing spree in Australia since 1950 was the Port Arthur Massacre in 1996. Source.
 * Australia has not experienced a comparable shooting incident since the Port Arthur Massacre. Source.
 * Firearms have been used in only a small number of violent crimes between 1995 and 2013. Source.

Questions

 * Is firearms registration necessary?
 * How can we ensure that background checks reveal all matters relevant to determining whether a person poses a genuine risk to the safety of others?