From: SSAA, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Note the comment that 350 guns were stolen from an Army depot. This is wrong. It was in fact a dealer who who savagely beaten and then forced at gun point to open the safe. Sunday Telegraph NSW Handgun deaths up 30jul00 HANDGUNS are used in almost half of all firearm murders, up from just 13 per cent four years ago, new figures show. An Australian Institute of Criminology report said handgun homicides accounted for 42 per cent of firearm murders last year. "There appears to have been a noticeable increase in the proportion of homicides committed with handguns," report author Jenny Mouzos said. But the total number of firearm murders is falling, dropping in 1998-99 to a 10-year low of 64 gun deaths. The institute said one in four murderers in Australia used a gun. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showed there were 123 murders in NSW last year, up from 96 in 1998. Justice Minister Amanda Vanstone said the report into gun murders showed most licensed gun owners were law-abiding. "In over 90 per cent of firearm-related homicides, the offenders are not licensed and the weapons are not registered," Senator Vanstone said. "Licensed gun owners are law-abiding citizens with legitimate reasons for owning the weapons they have." In the US, firearm- related homicides are 14 times more likely than in Australia. Senator Vanstone said she had raised the issue of handgun crime with the Australasian Police Ministers' Council, which was examining strategies. Storage of licensed guns was a serious issue. Ms Mouzos said stolen guns were highly prized on the black market. "A greater focus should be directed towards enforcement and monitoring of compliance," she said. In July last year, 350 pistols were stolen from an army depot in South Australia. "A theft of this magnitude highlights the dangers associated with stockpiling such weapons and the increased vulnerability of such stores in terms of potential targeting by illicit traffickers," Ms Mouzos said. Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________________________________ T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
