ACC to invest $40m in firearms buy-back scheme
We estimate that removing these prohibited firearms will reduce potential claims for firearm injuries.
We're contributing up to $40 million to the Government’s firearms buy-back scheme because we're confident it will have a direct impact on the number and severity of gun injuries in New Zealand.
When someone gets injured in New Zealand, we're there to support them in their recovery and return to work and everyday life. But our role starts much earlier: we try to prevent injuries occurring in the first place.
This is why we see significant value in investing in the buy-back scheme. We estimate that removing these prohibited firearms in New Zealand will reduce potential claims for firearm injuries by $70.5 million over the next 20 years.
There is strong evidence from Australia in the benefits of a gun buy-back scheme. After the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, the Australian buy-back saw an accelerated reduction in firearm homicide rates (which dropped by 42%); and suicide rates (down 57%) in the seven years after the scheme was introduced.
About our injury prevention initiatives
We work in partnership with a range of agencies and groups to reduce the incidence and impact of injury across New Zealand with a focus on Falls, Sports, Roads, Community, Work, Violence and Self-Harm, and Treatment Safety. We work to use a variety of interventions such as education, skill building, enforcement and engineering to effectively target and reduce injury.
