Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) former Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, and former Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Tim Fischer, led the introduction of the National Firearms Agreement (NFA) in 1996,

  (ii) a 2016 study, Association Between Gun Law Reforms and Intentional Firearm Deaths in Australia, found that in the 20 years since the NFA was implemented, there have been no mass shootings in Australia, and

  (iii) on 24 March 2018, the March for Our Lives took place in the United States of America, calling for stricter controls on firearms; and

(b) congratulates everyone who is making their voice heard on the important issue of reducing violence involving firearms.

David Leyonhjelm (NSW, Liberal Democratic Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

David Leyonhjelm (NSW, Liberal Democratic Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The study mentioned in this motion is probably the most dishonest paper ever on the subject of gun control. The rest of the world uses the FBI definition of a mass shooting to mean 'four victims, not including the shooter' and they don't necessarily have to be all dead. By that definition, Australia has had several mass shootings since 1996. The paper's authors, Philip Alpers and Simon Chapman, are obsessive anti-gun nuts. They changed the definition to 'five victims, not including the shooter' so that they could make the claim that there had been no mass shootings in the 20 years since the NFA was implemented. It's wrong and it's dishonest.

Question agreed to.