According to the report, the average murder rate in Victoria for 1973-1986 is 1.5 per hundred thousand people compared to a national average of 1.8. An analysis of homicide patterns concludes that, because many killings occur in highly emotional circumstances, the law's impact as a deterrent is limited. A review of current law covers murder, manslaughter, voluntary manslaughter, self-defense doctrine, and other defenses to a charge of murder. In proposing reforms, the paper notes that in 43 percent of homicides from the long-term survey, victim and defendant were members of the same household. It also argues that restrictions on availability of guns would reduce the risk of situations escalating into deadly violence. In this context, reforms address domestic violence before suggesting ways to reduce delays in homicide prosecutions. Other recommendations focus on categories of homicide charges as differentiated by intent, provocation, the law of self-defense, involuntary manslaughter, and sentences for murder. Tables.