Australia's gun buyback ineffective

Annie Iverson Gower ("It's time that we shout -- Enough," Feb 19) misrepresents Australia's experience with restrictive gun laws.

An ever-increasing amount of peer-reviewed research demonstrates that the 1996 bans and half-billion dollar "buyback" of legally owned firearms did not impact on firearm homicides, which were already declining before the legislative changes.

The pre-existing downwards trend in firearm suicides (which account for about 80 percent of firearm-related deaths in Australia) sped up post-1996.

However, suicides using other methods also declined from the late 1990s. This coincides with improved suicide prevention programs and wider social changes and means caution is necessary when drawing any conclusions.

Regarding mass shootings, Australia's close neighbor New Zealand has not had a mass shooting in over 10 years either.

However, New Zealanders still use, for hunting and target shooting, the types of firearms Australia spent hundreds of millions of dollars destroying.

Incorrectly promoting Australia's dubious legislative model as "successful" is not a solution to the immensely complex issues underlying violence.

Dr. Samara McPhedran

Chair

International Coalition for Women in Shooting and Hunting

The Glebe, Australia