Yet the mid to late 1980s period was coupled with an increase in homicides overall. By selectively choosing their figures, gun prohibitionists maintain that the 1989-90 fall in homicides by firearm is directly attributable to 'tighter gun laws' as introduced by various jurisdictions, yet they produce no evidence whatsoever to substantiate such a claim. Homicide by firearm has demonstrated a falling trend since well before the introduction of any punitive legislation. All that appears to be occurring is weapon substitution by the perpetrator. Clearly firearms are not the problem.
Homicide is the problem.
The only question of any significance is why Australians are wanting to kill each other. Rather than blaming firearms, which currently account for only one in five homicides, the community ought to direct its efforts towards remedying the circumstances which drive one person in our society to want to kill another. Figure 3 Figure 4 Suicide Figure 4 shows that for the 85-year period the overall suicide rate has varied between a low of 7.1 per 100,000 in 1943 to a high of 15.7 in 1963. The 1910 rate was 11.7 whereas the 1995 rate was 13.1. The average for the 85-year period is 11.7, making Australia 1.4 above average at this time.