Weapons, drugs and crime: the Australian experience

To make Australia a safer place to live, legislative reforms have been introduced that seek to restrict the number of weapons in the community. Reforms have centred on knives carried in public places, and on firearm ownership and possession. The focus on knives is of particular importance, as they a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends and issues in crime and criminal justice 2006-05 (312), p.1
Main Authors: Mouzos, Jenny, Borzycki, Maria
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Crime
Drugs
Weapons
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Summary:To make Australia a safer place to live, legislative reforms have been introduced that seek to restrict the number of weapons in the community. Reforms have centred on knives carried in public places, and on firearm ownership and possession. The focus on knives is of particular importance, as they are commonly used weapons. For example, knives and sharp instruments were used in 32 percent of homicides in 2003-04 (Mouzos 2005). Knives were involved in 28 percent of assaults and 52 percent of armed robberies in 2003 (ABS 2004). Using data collected as part of the Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) program, this paper explores the link between weapons, drugs and crime, with a specific focus on weapon ownership and possession. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:0817-8542
1836-2206