Sensible Gun Control
I am Australian and we have reasonably sensible gun laws, yes they need strengthening and are constantly under attack by pro-shooters, but they work, for the most part.
We had a mass shooting called the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, and our then Prime Minister, in what most say is the only real good achievement of his term in office, though he did raise the medicare levy to buy guns from owners. The system banned semi-automatic weapons and strengthened gun ownership laws. Deaths by guns have had a decrease over the years as a result of this legislation. We have had few mass shootings since them.
There are still an estimated 250,000 firearms unaccounted for in Australia. The Monash University shooter was provided his gun by a local shooting club, while the Sydney Siege Hostage crisis used weapons from this unaccounted for "black Market'. In both instances the gun laws were tightened slightly and loopholes closed.
Police recently prevented a possible terror plot / mass shooting by the "United Patriots Front" hate group, when a firearm was seized from a rally bus headed for a "reclaim Australia" hate rally. The weapon was confiscated but astonishingly no charges were laid at that time. Their rally's are usually drowned out by anti-racism protesters.
Indeed more work needs to be done and the pro-shooter lobby groups continually try to water down the gun control laws we do have.
Possessing a gun makes you less safe not more safe!
Statistics show that a household with a gun if far more likely to have a family member of friend injured by that gun than for the weapon to be used in defense of that household.
10 Pro-Gun Myths, Shot Down
Don't be fooled by the pro-shooters; guns do make it easier to kill people, "bad guys" do legally get guns, guns are more likely to be used to attack then they are to defend, there is no legitimate reason for any non-law enforcement, military person to have a gun.
I am sure if Americas constitution writers had foreseen the advancement in firearm technology and foreseen the results in mass ownership, they would have been a bit more specific. They were obviously thinking about the weapons available at the time.
I am not a constitutional expert but it seems to me that the right to bear arms was in direct relation to maintaining a militia. I don't think the USA has a militia any more, they have an Army/navy/ air force instead, don't they?
Also there are already exemptions to gun ownership, as i don't think guns are allowed in prisons?
Perhaps if America and Australia are unwilling to implement reasonable gun control laws, other areas need to be strengthened to protect its citizens. I am thinking in light of the probable incitement of "pro-life" proponents in the recent family planning mass shooting, we should look at strengthening anti-hate speech laws, and anti-discrimination laws.
For more information about gun control in Australia see
I have some ideas to increase gun safety for Australia:
* Increase gun license costs.
* Place special tax on guns and especially bullets.
* Modify all guns so that all are single shot and that re-loading is a long and complicated physical mechanical process. (these alterations would be at owners/buyers expense).
* Mandatory advertising in local papers of persons intent to get gun license, any legitimate objections by public would ban gun ownership.
* Ban gun use in parks and public places.
* Full mental health check before weapon and gun license purchase, and yearly after that.
* Long waiting time to get gun and license, 12 months at least.
* No gun ownership if criminal record or history of violence.
* If you "lose" your gun, you lose your license and are held accountable if that weapon is ever used in a crime.
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