An economic study of the costs of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s firearms buyback estimates NSW will be hit for $950 million if only 1 in 5 legally owned guns is surrendered, with no measurable benefit to public safety.
The Tulipwood Economics study found that even a conservative estimate of the buyback’s impact would have direct costs in compensation to gun owners of over $416 million, and more than that again in administration, “deadweight” tax costs, house welfare losses and harm to businesses.
The study, which was commissioned by Shooters Union Australia and the Shooting Industry Foundation of Australia (SIFA), also calculated the same buyback of just 20% of legally owned firearms would cost the nation almost $1.6 billion in direct compensation payments, and increase to $1.83 billion when administration costs were added.
“At a time when families are struggling with rent, groceries, power bills and basic essentials, governments should not be pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into a buyback they cannot prove will make any community safer,” Shooters Union president Graham Park said.
“That money could fund real community safety: policing, intelligence, youth intervention, mental health services, domestic violence services, homelessness support and action against illegal firearms.”
The Tulipwood report found no statistical evidence of any connection between the number of legally owned firearms in the community and mass shooting deaths.
It also reported there was no robust evidence that reducing gun ownership would have any impact on the rate of firearm-related homicide, and reported that the grey market was the most common source of illicit firearms in Australia.
“Where is the plan for the illegal firearms market?” Mr Park asked. “Where is the plan for the grey market? Where is the plan for organised crime, unlicensed offenders, illegal imports, 3D printing, radicalisation and enforcement failures?
“A terrorist attack raises serious questions about national security, intelligence, social cohesion and policing.
“Scapegoating licensed firearm owners avoids those questions. It does not answer them.
“NSW should not be forced into a costly, evidence-free scheme because the Albanese Government wants to look like it is doing something.”
For this study, Tulipwood Economics used the same modelling it did for a separate study into the cost-benefits of a firearms buyback in Victoria, where the results showed the policy would be an even greater waste of taxpayer money.
0 Comments