Rebecca Peters

Rebecca Peters

AO
Rebecca Peters; AO
Nationality	Australian
Known for	Gun control in Australia
Title	Director of the International Action Network on Small Arms
Term	2002–2010
Board member of	Australian National Coalition for Gun Control (former Chair)

Rebecca Peters is a political advocate for gun control who served as Director of the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) from 2002 to 2010. As of April 2012, Peters was listed on the IANSA board of directors.^{[citation needed]}

Background[]

Rebecca Peters studied law.^[1]

As chair of the Australian National Coalition for Gun Control at the time of the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, Peters contributed to the introduction of stricter gun control in Australia, working on the homogenization of gun laws across Australia's 8 states, the ban on semiautomatic rifles and shotguns, and a year-long buyback that destroyed nearly 700,000 weapons.^[2]^{[citation needed]} In a televised debate with , vice-president of the Firearms Owners Association, the latter declared that guns were necessary for men to defend women against the invasion of Indonesians in Australia, to which she replied that domestic violence was probably a much bigger issue. Thinking his microphone was off, he muttered back «I tell you what, if I was married to Rebecca Peters I'd probably commit domestic violence too», thus exemplifying the gender issue in the gun politics arena.^[1]

She worked for the Open Society Institute, a private foundation funded by George Soros.^{[citation needed]} From 2002 to 2010, Rebecca Peters served as Director of the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA).

In 2014, she moved to Guatemala to lobby in favor of stricter gun control policies, and to fundraise for the Transitions Foundation of Guatemala, a foundation specialized in helping disabled victims of gun violence.^[1]

She has been criticized by the United States National Rifle Association which claims that Peters «is the voice and face of hatred of gun owners and Second Amendment freedoms.»^[3]

Recognitions[]

1996: Australian Human Rights Medal for her contribution to researching, educating and lobbying for gun law reforms in Australia.^[4]
2007: Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the community as an advocate and campaigner for gun control.^[5]