<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>More than 2000 </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/guns" rel="" target="_blank" title="guns"><span>guns</span></a><span> are stolen every year in Australia, averaging out to one every four hours, according to new research.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Australia Institute, citing police data from every state and territory, also found that at least 9000 guns have been stolen in the country since 2020, and more than 44,000 since 2000.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The institute said previous research had shown there were now more than four million guns in Australia - more than there were before the Port Arthur massacre that prompted the Howard government's nationwide firearm law reform.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/ben-austin-young-cricketer-dies-after-training-accident-victoria/b55935be-0408-4938-a3e6-bb46b649c8b1" target="_blank"><strong><span>Teen cricketer dies after training tragedy</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Thousands of guns are flowing into the hands of criminals every year, putting Australians in danger," Australia Institute research director Rod Campbell said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Theft of legal guns is the main source of illegal guns in Australia, not 3D printing or illegal imports. It's pretty simple – the more legal guns there are in Australia, the more illegal guns there will be."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>After a recent major </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/over-500-guns-seized-45-people-charged-major-police-firearms-crackdown/440a955d-fde3-4951-83b0-253c82f3e1b6" rel="" target="_blank" title="national gun seizure operation by police and federal police"><span>national gun seizure operation by police and federal police</span></a><span> around the country, police said 3D-printed or otherwise home-made guns were looming larger as a source of illegal weapons.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/gun-stolen-every-four-hours-in-australia-new-study-finds/5882c1cc-48aa-4138-ab1d-8a2ead97b347" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/finance/commonwealth-bank-westpac-interest-rate-cut-forecasts-high-inflation/85ab1489-c06f-4e62-839e-c88ed18b34d4" target="_blank"><strong><span>Major banks drop grim new forecast for interest rates</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>However, they said, while they were becoming a more significant element of organised crime and the sovereign citizen movement, 3D-printed guns were also being found in the homes of licensed firearm users and tech enthusiasts.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>A step forward</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Campbell said state and federal governments had been "complacent" on the issue.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This research shows that gun control and keeping the community safe requires ongoing efforts from all levels of government," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Australians might be shocked to discover that the Howard-era National Firearms Agreement has still not been completed."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/sunscreen-scandal-australia-mum-claims-she-used-recalled-ultra-violette-lean-screen-for-two-years-before-skin-cancer-diagnosis/ed42b06f-2e1c-451f-9b7a-e90d27bd818e" target="_blank"><strong><span>Mum claims she used recalled sunscreen for two years before skin cancer</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He suggested an immediate step state governments could take, one with Australian precedent.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"If we don't want to go down the path of America, all states and territories can follow Western Australia's lead of capping the number of guns any one person can own," Campbell said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There's a clear path forward for governments to act."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple App Store</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>.</span></em></strong></div></div>