Wow. That's wonderful for the crime rate. Are you allowed to carry out in the bush? What the hey do you do if one of the many venomous snakes comes along? Geeezzzzz!!! Seriously....or in your yard? Maybe I watched too much of the Crocodile Hunter,,,,,,,,,,,,
People are allowed guns but you have to be licenced to purchase, also ammo, and I personally have no idea where a gun shop is in my state even.
The licences themselves are very hard to get. You have to be able to demonstrate a need for a gun, demonstrate good character (thats the hard part for your average crim) and most guns are banned outright, like semi automatics, automatics, etc. You have to apply to the police to be able to get a licence, there is NO SUCH THING as carrying in public places, it is illegal under any conditions.
If you wish to have a licence for say, sport, like joining a gun club, the police will actually interview the gun club to make sure you are who you say you are, are a person of good character, etc. Then you will still have a massive waiting period. You also have to be inspected that you have the correct storage facilities for the weapon, a shoebox under the bed won't do. It has to be keyed safe like storage cabinets of an approved brand only.
If you wish to have a licence for hunting, for example, you can get hunting rifles etc, but you also have to be of good character, have a waiting period, references, proof that you have permission to shoot on someones land etc.
It doesn't stop the crims getting the guns if they are really determined (they import them), but it has the effect of removing guns from the reach of most.
There is no such thing as someone coming home drunk, grabbing their gun and blowing the missus away, for example. Or kids playing Russian Roulette. Or muggings/robberies turning into fatal shootings.
I guess someone will post something proving me wrong but you get my drift...its so rare as to be almost non existent.
There is another gun amnesty on now. Anyone who still has one and cant.wont meet the licencing requirements can surrender them no questions asked. Our PM John Howard actually had a gun buy back scheme, you could get good money for your guns, he did this just to get them out of circulation after the Port Arthur massacre.
He called gun ownership "the American Disease".