Media Release: Gun Prohibitionists Admit Tough Laws Did Not Affect Murder Rates
Date: Dec 13, 2006 11:00 AM
Attachments: ATT1368738.txt

——– Original Message ——–
Subject: [Wishlist] Media Release: Gun Prohibitionists Admit
Tough Laws
Did Not Affect Murder Rates
Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2006 00:56:03 +1100
From: [email protected]
Reply-To: [email protected]
Organization: WiSH
To: <[email protected]>

The International Coalition for Women in Shooting and Hunting (WiSH) has
issued the following release:

*Media Release **December 14 2006***

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gun Prohibitionists Admit Tough Laws Did Not Affect Murder Rates

The International Coalition for Women in Shooting and Hunting (WiSH) has
welcomed new research showing that Australia’s 1996 gun laws did not
have an impact on the pre-existing downwards trend in firearm homicides.

WiSH Chairwoman Samara McPhedran said “This study adds to the
ever-increasing body of evidence that the tough laws, bans, and buybacks
did not affect the ongoing decline in rates of murder using a firearm.”

The results support peer-reviewed research co-authored by Ms McPhedran
and published earlier this year by the prestigious British Journal of
Criminology.

“Like our work, this research shows that the reforms may have affected
firearm suicide rates, which account for around 80 per cent of
firearm-related deaths. However, suicides using other methods also
started to drop in the late 1990′s, which means we must be cautious
about drawing conclusions. It is highly likely that better funding for
suicide prevention contributed to overall declines.”

“Anti-gun lobbyists have finally acknowledged that the facts demonstrate
the laws’ lack of effect. This forces us to recall that the half billion
dollars spent on bans and buybacks came at the expense of mental
healthcare, early intervention strategies, social services, and
community policing,” said Ms McPhedran.

*References:*

British Journal of Criminology:
http://bjc.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/azl084v1

AIC: http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi151.html

ABC Law Report:
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/lawreport/stories/2006/1776336.htm

A pdf of this release is available from:

http://www.ic-wish.org/WiSH%20Gun%20Prohibitionists%20Admit%20Tough%20La
ws%20Did%20Not%20Affect%20Murder%20PR%20141206.pdf

The Second Amendment IS Homeland Security !