Objectives: To examine the basic premises of gun control and the relationship linking legal firearm ownership to homicide and suicide in Australia. Data sources/ Available data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics regarding firearms ownership, study selection: suicide and homicide in Australia were reviewed. Medline database searches using key words of ‘firearms’, ‘homicide, statistics, trends’, ‘suicide, statistics, trends’ and ‘violence, prevention and control, statistics’ identified English language publications relating to violence prevention and/or firearms from 1966 to 1996. These papers were manually searched to identify additional references. Internet home pages of The Coalition for Gun Control, The Sporting Shooters Association of Australia, Handgun Control Inc. and The National Rifle Association were reviewed and information that could be independently validated was considered. Results: Few papers approach the subject of violence with the same focus, limiting the ability to perform meta‐analysis or direct comparisons of data. Conclusions: Current knowledge is inconclusive, but does not provide strong support for some existing Australian firearm control measures. Evidence suggests that further reducing the levels of firearm ownership in Australia will not cause an overall reduction in rates of homicide or suicide.

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Objective To evaluate the acceptability and effectiveness of a small community‐based hospice on the end‐of‐life experiences of patients and families. Methods Mixed‐methods study. Design Patient admission data were used to assess utilisation of the hospice. Open‐ended interviews with hospice patients and their families/carers were used to understand the emotional effects of the service. Setting A small palliative end‐of‐life hospice in a rural town in NSW, Australia, during a 12‐month trial period that began in March 2019. Data were collected in October–November 2019. Participants Patients, families and carers who used the hospice during the trial period, as well as staff working at the hospice. Main outcome measure(s) Quantitative measures included the number of patients admitted to the hospice, the average length of stay and the overall occupancy rate of the hospice. Quantitative interviews were used to explore the experiences of patients and families who used the hospice, and whether the hospice met their end‐of‐life needs. Results During the trial, 58 patients were admitted to the hospice. The majority of admissions were less than 7 days. Two patients and nine family members were interviewed about their experiences, and six staff completed interviews. Experiences were consistently positive, with the community setting of the hospice contributing to a peaceful and home‐like end‐of‐life experience. Interviewees described meaningful relationships with staff, a pleasant physical environment and the comprehensive care provided were key elements of this experience. Conclusion This model, embedding end‐of‐life care within a residential aged care facility, facilitated a positive end‐of‐life experience for residents of this regional community. The development of local models to meet local needs is essential to enabling people nearing the end of life to remain in their location of choice, and ensure that their needs are met at this vulnerable time.

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