NCJ Number
229820
Date Published
2009
Length
45 pages
Annotation
Results are presented on all incidents of firearm theft reported to police in Australian States and territories for 2007-2008.
Abstract
Highlights of key findings from the report include: 1) a total of 1,712 firearms were stolen in 708 reported incidents of firearm theft in 2007-2008; 2) rifles accounted for the majority (55 percent) of all reported stolen firearms followed by shotguns at 24 percent; 3) 95 percent of firearms reported stolen were registered, the majority of which were registered to a private owner; 4) 92 percent of firearm owners who reported a theft in 2007-2008 held a valid firearm license for the firearms they reported stolen; 5) three-quarters of firearm thefts were reported by the owner of the stolen firearms; 6) the majority of thefts (87 percent) followed an unlawful entry of premises or a vehicle; 7) ammunition was stolen in one-quarter of incidents of firearm theft; 8- in 57 percent of incidents, firearms stolen had been stored in a firearm safe or otherwise approved receptacle; 9) one-quarter of firearm owners were again found to be in breach of firearm laws and regulations; 10) firearms were recovered from 13 percent of thefts and were returned to owners in 41 percent of these cases; 11) 4 percent of theft locations had been the site of previous firearm thefts; and 12) firearms stolen in just 7 (or 2 percent of) firearm-theft incidents were known to have been used in the commission of a subsequent offense. Tables, figures, references, and appendixes