Michael Dowling - COLFO Column article January 2011
Dear Members

  I hope you have all had sufficient break over the holiday period to come back refreshed.

I attended the 150th Anniversary Ballinger Belt Final Match on the 15th of January; this event is hosted by the National Rifle Association of New Zealand. I was impressed by the depth of history of the NRA. Their boardroom is surrounded by the history of the association with pictures and trophies from 1861 to present day on display. I felt very privileged to witness a small part of their history.

My congratulations go out to all of the event winners and to the NRA for the conduct of the day, its history and persistence as a discipline.

In the last two months of the year I had some interesting conversations with Police and members around changes to our firearms law and the processes. I have also been reviewing research on the use of firearms in suicide and homicide.

I received information from NZ Police that showed on average over the past 10 years 55.6 died from homicide, of these on average of 7.3 firearms were used.. This means 13% of homicides are committed with firearms: to me this indicates that if firearms are not available to offenders, then they commit murder by other means.

In the area of suicide, the percentage of suicides completed using firearms has dropped from 25% to 10%. While this could be considered good news, it is offset by an increase in the number of suicides by hanging so that the total rate of suicides has increased. As with homicide, it seems if a person contemplating suicide does not have uncontrolled access to firearms, then they use other means.

The simplest solution to reducing the death rate by firearms (homicide or suicide) is controlling access to firearms. Controlled access is achieved by security, supervision and education on safety.

An important part of firearms ownership and use is risk awareness, whether it is at the range, hunting, travelling or securing your firearms at home. We all need to maintain an active awareness of how much risks increase or decrease. It is easy to get into a routine and forget that sometimes levels of risk can change, a family member comes to stay who has a criminal record, you or your family member are diagnosed with an illness. Having an active awareness of risk can allow you to review your plans to manage it.

Risk management looks to identify the presence of risks, to understanding the likelihood of any occurring, the frequency and severity of a potential impact, if the damaging event were to occur. Then develop a means to reduce, avoid, accept or transfer the risk of the event. The benefit of this process is you consider your risk management options and weigh them against the costs, to determine the most suitable way to manage a risk relative to the potential impact.

If I look at the rate of suicide or homicide by firearm, it seems to me, separating parts of and ammunition for firearms and the cost of a lock on a secure door or padlock on a suitable firearms rack is a reasonable investment if it reduces the rate of suicide or homicide by firearm. But as the rate of suicide and homicide has not decreased, the answer to these social issues does not lie with firearms but with improving mental health education and risk management. In my view this is where the majority of investment should be made to effect a reduction in the rate.

I ask you all to consider your safety and those around you on a regular basis, and have a plan to deal with anything that changes.

If you can be of any assistance with information or support please contact me on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Michael Dowling   
Chair COLFO
 

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