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The Daoud Family Murders
The 1981 shooting is one of the reasons why gun control was introduced in Australia.
Ask any police officer, and they’ll tell you that domestic violence incidents are among the most common and potentially dangerous jobs that they’re called to attend. Often volatile, and almost always emotionally charged, they’re unpredictable and at times involve extreme violence.
In Australia during the early-1980s, domestic violence (also known as family violence) was a mostly hidden issue. A crime that occurred behind closed doors and one seen by many as a private matter and not something that should be of concern to others. Thankfully, this attitude has changed, and while domestic violence is still under-reported it is at least now treated as the crime it is, and dealt with as a mainstream criminal justice issue.
In September 1981, John Daoud was just nine years old when his father broke into his family home and shot dead his mother, his three brothers and his sister before turning the gun on himself and taking his own life.
The massacre was a final act of revenge from a man who had violently abused his wife for…
