More criminals are being sentenced for gun crime in Victoria and they are increasingly going to jail, a new report shows.
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A 34 per cent jump in sentences for gun crime was recorded in the five years to June 2017, going from 2375 to 3191, the Sentencing Advisory Council revealed on Wednesday.
It comes as the courts impose financial fines less often and increasingly use jail sentences, with the majority of cases linked with other crime categories and many with ice use.
Illegal firearm use and possession made up half the gun crime and 93 per cent of offenders were male, with an average age of 34, and 16 for youth offenders.
"This report provides insight into the difficulties courts face when sentencing firearms offenders, who often have significant criminal histories and complex personal circumstances," Sentencing Advisory Council chair Arie Freiberg said.
Australia is thought to harbour 260,000 illegal guns, often coming from licensed owners or "rouge" dealers, and Victoria has 132 different firearm offences.
More than 80 per cent of people sentenced in higher courts - above a magistrates court level - had a criminal history and substance-abuse issues. A similar proportion of offences resulted in jail time.
This led the report to find many offenders sentenced at a County Court level or above were "entrenched" in the criminal justice system.
More than half those criminals were considered to have little if any prospect of rehabilitation, and almost a third had a mental illness or related condition.
Fines remained the most common penalty imposed by magistrates, but that option dropped from a rate of 31 per cent in 2012-13 to 20 per cent in 2016-17.
Firearms offences heard in children's courts doubled between 2012-13 and 2016-17 and the most common punishment was a youth justice centre order, used in 35 per cent of cases.
GUN CRIME IN VICTORIA
* 14,828 firearm offences sentenced in Victoria between 2012 and 2017
* In the children's court, sentences more than doubled
* Most cases include at least two charges for other offences
* Average adult sentenced is aged 34, and child 16
* More than 80 per cent of sentences in higher courts involve a jail term
* Similar proportion of offenders before higher courts have a criminal history
* Fines still most common penalty given by magistrates but rates are dropping
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