Firearms


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Table 11.15 and graph 11.16 show that a weapon was used in 71% of recorded murders in 1998, a slight decrease over 1997. Firearms were used in 19% of both murders and attempted murders in 1998, falls of 4% and 9% respectively over 1997. While the use of firearms decreased or remained steady for most offences in 1998, the use of other weapons in the commission of offences increased for all offences listed below with the exception of murder. The use of firearms in assaults and sexual assaults remained low (less than 1%).

11.15 VICTIMS OF REPORTED CRIME(a), By Use of Weapon in Commission of Offence
		Firearm	Other weapon	Weapon n.f.d.	Total weapons	No weapons	Total
Offence category		%	%	%	%	%	%
1998
Homicide
	Murder	19.0	48.6	3.2	70.8	29.2	100.0
	Attempted murder	19.4	64.7	0.5	84.6	15.4	100.0
	Manslaughter	—	40.8	—	40.8	59.2	100.0
Assault		0.5	9.2	0.4	10.2	89.8	100.0
Sexual assault		0.2	1.9	—	2.1	97.9	100.0
Kidnapping/abduction		3.9	11.0	0.2	15.1	84.9	100.0
Armed robbery		17.6	73.1	9.3	100.0	—	100.0
1997
Homicide
	Murder	23.4	49.5	2.5	75.4	24.6	100.0
	Attempted murder	28.3	58.8	—	87.1	12.9	100.0
	Manslaughter	2.6	35.9	—	38.5	61.5	100.0
Assault		0.7	9.1	0.4	10.2	89.8	100.0
Sexual assault		0.2	1.8	—	2.1	97.9	100.0
Kidnapping/abduction		3.7	8.4	0.2	12.3	87.7	100.0
Armed robbery		24.1	66.5	9.4	100.0	—	100.0
(a) Victims of armed robbery refers to individual persons or organisations. All other offence categories used in this table refer to individual persons. Source: Recorded Crime, Australia, 1997 (4510.0); Recorded Crime, Australia, 1998 (4510.0).

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- 4510.0 1998 Recorded Crime, Australia