Suicide data suggest gun buyback successful

[janbo1960]

A group of researchers say Australia's gun buyback scheme that followed the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania 11 years ago could have saved up to 280 lives per year.

A 2006 study that concluded the gun buyback had no impact on gun homicide or suicide rates has been revisited by economists in Canberra and Canada.

They say the original study was flawed because of the data used.

Dr Andrew Leigh from the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra says the gun buyback was successful because the number of gun suicides have dropped significantly.

Dr Leigh says his study shows it has saved between 120 and 280 lives per year.

"We said, 'well hang on, if the non-gun suicide rate had gone up then you would've said that people were substituting to non-gun suicide methods'," he said.

"We think the original authors can't have it both ways - really you've just got to look at gun suicides and we think they've gone down a lot.

"Even if you take the bottom level of that and take the standard estimate that economists put on the value of a statistical life - $2.5 million - then that suggests to us that the buyback paid for itself in the first two years.

"It was $500 million one-off and it continues to save lives."

[faceless]

that's good to know - just a shame it takes these idiots that long to realise that if you take the easy means away that it becomes harder. It's not exactly rocket-science eh?