A Social Epidemiological Perspective on Gun Fatalities in Australia and New Zealand

After the events of the 2019 mass shootings in Christchurch New Zealand, the effectiveness of its gun control measures were brought into question. More gun control measures were proposed as a means of reducing such acts of violence. Both Australia and New Zealand have been considered models for gun...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inIDEAS Working Paper Series from RePEc
Main Author Goldman, Daniel S
Format Paper
LanguageEnglish
Published St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 01.01.2022
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Summary:After the events of the 2019 mass shootings in Christchurch New Zealand, the effectiveness of its gun control measures were brought into question. More gun control measures were proposed as a means of reducing such acts of violence. Both Australia and New Zealand have been considered models for gun control policy. However, it is possible that sociostructural changes, rather than legal changes, are the true cause of apparent declines in gun violence in these countries. This paper analyzes the firearm mortality rates of both countries and identifies a strong correlation that should not exist, under the assumption that legal reforms are responsible for the decline in violence in these two countries.
DOI:10.31219/osf.io/24h3m