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Alpers, Philip. 2016 ‘Summary.’ Mass Gun Killings in Australia and New Zealand, 1987-2015. Sydney: GunPolicy.org, Sydney School of Public Health. 12 January

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Mass Gun Killings in Australia and New Zealand, 1987-2015

In the past 28 years, 17 mass shootings in Australia and New Zealand left 139 dead and 60 wounded by gunfire. All the perpetrators were men. Police files, judges' summations and coroners' reports show that:

- 56% of the victims were shot by a licensed gun owner
- 88% of the victims were shot by a killer with no previous history of violent crime
- 78% of the victims were shot by a killer with no previous history of mental illness
- 57% of the victims died in a shooting in which a military-style semi-automatic weapon was used

While 28 victims of mass shootings were killed by men with a known history of mental illness, 73 out of 126 victims were shot by previously law-abiding, licensed gun owners using legally held firearms.

This table first appeared as Appendix 2 to an article published in The Conversation on 7 October 2015: If Lawful Firearm Owners Cause Most Gun Deaths, What Can We Do? Periodic updates will be added.

ID: Q11917

As many publishers change their links and archive their pages, the full-text version of this article may no longer be available from the original link. In this case, please go to the publisher's web site or use a search engine.

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