Actually, comparing violent gun crimes in the US and Australia reveals significant differences in homicide rates, mass shootings, and overall gun violence.
Homicide Rates
Intentional Homicide Rate: The intentional homicide rate in Australia was 0.74 per 100,000 residents in 2021, showing a decline from previous years[6]. In contrast, the US has a significantly higher rate[1].
Gun Homicide Rate: Age-adjusted firearm homicide rates in the US are 33 times greater than in Australia[1].
Mass Shootings
Mass Shootings: Australia has seen a significant decrease in mass shootings since the implementation of stricter gun laws in 1996. Since then, there has been only one mass shooting in the 26 years following the enactment of these laws[4]. In contrast, the US has experienced well over 100 mass shootings in the same period[4].
Overall Gun Violence
Gun Violence: The US had 10 times higher death rates from gun violence than Australia[5]. This is despite similar rates of mental illness in both countries, suggesting that high rates of gun ownership and access to firearms in the US, rather than mental illness, are significant contributors to gun violence[5].
Firearms per Resident: The US has a much higher number of guns per resident compared to Australia. In the US, there are approximately 393 million guns owned among a population of about 335 million. In contrast, Australia has 3.5 million guns among a population of 26.4 million[5].
Gun Control Measures
Gun Control Laws: Australia implemented more restrictive firearms legislation in 1996 following several high-profile killing sprees. The laws included a ban on the sale and importation of all automatic and semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, a requirement for individuals to present a legitimate reason and wait 28 days to buy a firearm, and a massive, mandatory gun buyback program[4][8]. These measures have been associated with a significant decrease in gun-related homicides and mass shootings[4].
In summary, the US has higher rates of homicide and overall gun violence compared to Australia. These differences are influenced by stricter gun control laws in Australia and the higher prevalence of firearms in the US.
Actually, comparing violent gun crimes in the US and Australia reveals significant differences in homicide rates, mass shootings, and overall gun violence.
Homicide Rates
Mass Shootings
Overall Gun Violence
Gun Control Measures
In summary, the US has higher rates of homicide and overall gun violence compared to Australia. These differences are influenced by stricter gun control laws in Australia and the higher prevalence of firearms in the US.
Citations: [1] On gun violence, the United States is an outlier https://www.healthdata.org/news-events/insights-blog/acting-data/gun-violence-united-states-outlier [2] Australia vs United States: Crime Facts and Stats https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/Australia/United-States/Crime [3] The Effects of the 1996 National Firearms Agreement in Australia on Suicide, Homicide, and Mass Shootings https://www.rand.org/research/gun-policy/analysis/essays/1996-national-firearms-agreement.html [4] What can Australia’s reaction to a mass shooting teach us about guns and gun control? https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-can-australias-reaction-to-a-mass-shooting-teach-us-about-guns-and-gun-control/ [5] Comparing Mental Illness, Gun Violence in the U.S., Australia and U.K. https://www.fau.edu/newsdesk/articles/mental-illness-gun-violence.php [6] Australia Murder/Homicide Rate 1990-2024 https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/AUS/australia/murder-homicide-rate [7] [PDF] Firearms theft in Australia : a six-month exploratory analysis - Australian Institute of Criminology https://www.aic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-05/tbp020.pdf [8] Gun laws of Australia - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_of_Australia [9] Australia vs United States: Crime > Violent crime Facts and Stats https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/Australia/United-States/Crime/Violent-crime [10] Crime in Australia - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Australia [11] Gun Control in Australia - FactCheck.org https://www.factcheck.org/2009/05/gun-control-in-australia/ [12] Gun control: what makes Australian and US laws so different? - Law Society Journal https://lsj.com.au/articles/gun-control-what-makes-australian-and-us-laws-so-different/ [13] Australia confiscated 650,000 guns. Murders and suicides plummeted. https://www.vox.com/2015/8/27/9212725/australia-buyback [14] Australia’s homicide rate is down over 50% from the 1990s, despite a small blip during COVID https://theconversation.com/australias-homicide-rate-is-down-over-50-from-the-1990s-despite-a-small-blip-during-covid-202730 [15] PolitiFact - Viral post is wrong about Australia’s gun laws, violent crime statistics https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/jan/13/facebook-posts/no-viral-post-isnt-correct-australias-gun-laws-vio/ [16] U.S. Gun Policy: Global Comparisons https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/us-gun-policy-global-comparisons [17] Mass shootings and firearm https://www.aic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-06/draft_of_trends_issues_paper_mass_shootings_and_firearm_control_comparing_australia_and_the_united_states_submitted_to_peer_review.pdf [18] World Bank Open Data https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/VC.IHR.PSRC.P5?locations=AU [19] Australian Gun Control Measures Are Ineffective (From Gun Control, P 260-268, 1992, Charles P Cozic, ed. – See NCJ-160164) https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/australian-gun-control-measures-are-ineffective-gun-control-p-260 [20] Gun Deaths by Country 2024 https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/gun-deaths-by-country [21] International https://www.fsb.miamioh.edu/lij14/p_taylor.pdf [22] Mental Illness and Gun Violence in the United States, Australia, and United Kingdom: Clinical and Public Health Challenges - The American Journal of Medicine https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(23)00738-6/fulltext [23] Implications of the Australian Experience With Firearm Regulation for US Gun Policy https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6187769/ [24] The stats https://www.gunsafetyalliance.org.au/the-stats/ [25] Criminal use of handguns in Australia - Australian Institute of Criminology https://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi361