Interesting info from "down under"

[ironglow]

 Gun Law Update


Here's a thought to warm some of your hearts . .
From:   Ed Chenel, A police officer in Australia


 

Hi Yanks, I thought you all would like to see the now available data from Down Under.

It has now been one year (12 months) since gun owners in Australia were forced 

by a new law to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed by

our own government, a program costing Australia  taxpayers more than $500 million dollars.

The first year results are now available:

Australia-wide, homicides are up 6.2 percent;

Australia-wide, assaults are up 9.6 percent;

Australia-wide, armed robberies are up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent);

In the state of Victoria alone, homicides with firearms are now up 300 percent as compared with the last one year period when private ownership of a firearm was legal.

(NB: the law-abiding citizens did turn in their personal firearms, the criminal element did not and thus criminals in Australia still possess their guns.)

While data for the 25 years preceding the confiscation of privately owned guns showed a steady decrease in armed robbery with firearms, this has changed drastically upward in the past 12 months as criminals now are assured their victims will be unarmed.

There has also been a dramatic increase in break-ins and assaults of the elderly, while the resident is at home.

Australian politicians are at a loss to explain how public safety has decreased, after such monumental effort and expense was expended in 'successfully ridding Australian society of guns.'

This

[bilmac]

I just can't understand why loberals can't see what will happen if they get their way.

[Swampman]

That's where we are headed.

[Graybeard]

Guys that has been floating around now for at least ten years and from what I understand wasn't really correct info at the time.

[cbl51]

I've seen that on at least two other forums. Same post.

Does anyone know how to check this sort of stuff to see if it's real or B.S.?

[phalanx]

My Uncle lives in Queensland and he said that they tagged his gun and gave him a Receipt.
Last Month he got a ;letter that Queensland is going to pass that deal like is spreading across places in Europe.
Its a States , or Providence rights thing ,and Governments have a hard time stopping it.
In other words ,if you don't like Guns ,don't live in Queensland ,live in Sydney.
Liberals like it also ,because it isn't only guns that a Provence can do ,Gay Marriage , and they have their own little Liberal locations.
The trouble is that the Provence's who allow gun ownership and taxes regulated by that Province , are also the ones who work and actually pay Taxes.
The Liberal ones are all people living off the labor of the ones who are free ,like welfare .
And like here they elect the ones who run the Country ,or run it into the ground.
Welfare has become the Plague of the 21st century.

[lrs]

That last statement about welfare is dead on.  I did not realize other nations have a similar situation as we have.

[ironglow]

 Does it seem unreasonable that only those who pay taxes should be allowed to vote for (or against) the people who are likely to raise our taxes?

[45-70.gov]

election day should be april 16

day  after tax day

[Graybeard]

I'm moving this one to the Australia forum at least temporarily so some folks who live there can comment. Depending on what is said I might or might not restore it to the Second Amendment Forum.

[Jacko]

The figures given on the extent of the firearms buyback are pretty right , don't know about the suicides and crime stats though . I am a member of the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia and they publish very regular updates on this stuff in there publication "The Shooters Journel". Gotta remember in the mid 90's I don't think we had quite 20 million citizens - this is a huge waste of taxpayers money

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics_in_Australia

This first link is a relatively light read folks - spells out the gun law situation reasonably well and has a few links in it that will lead to the Sporting Shooers website where with a bit of deft navigation you may be able to bring up the stats for the last 12 months . They will indicate we where sold a crock of S@#T

http://www.shootersnews.addr.com/snportarthur.html

The above link is really heavy reading that at the least will make you think .

I just don't know about this link , obviously the fella has a barrow to push . I have read this and other published data that paints that same dreadfull picture  - Would a government participate in a attrocity like this - yes look at the  history books . I don't want to come across as a rabid gun nut but I just gotta wonder

I was deeply distrustfull of the Howard government - there motivation , reasoning and the calculated manner in which shooters where demonised . No matter how you look at it who's version and evidence you subscribe to its obvious Australians where sold a lemon

regards Jacko

[kombi1976]

You're right, Jacko.
If they'd been less militant about taking guns off people who were never a threat.....like experienced members of pistol and rifle clubs who had been responsible gun owners for decades........and had spent about half of what ended up as more like $1 Billion on law enforcement and mental health.
I think you can see where I'm headed.
I'm not going to make calls about milsurp semi-autos.
They have their place; whether that is as a hunting arm or for target shooting is difficult to say.
They are certainly VERY effective during culling at short range.
Why we can't have semi-auto rimfires is something that mystifies me.
And then there's the whole business about pump action shotguns.
They aren't available to everyday shooters but you are allowed to own pump action high powered rifles like the Rem 7600, even the Patrol model with the 10 shot mag.
Oh, and you can own a lever action 12g Shottie.
Explain how that makes sense?
If they really want to ban guns that are used in crimes it would be cheap pistols and old sxs 12g shotties.
More people rob petrol stations or do drive-bys or hold their relatives hostage or top themselves with these firearms than ever were done with high powered semi-auto rifles and shotguns.
Worst still though is the fact that customs officials and federal police are seizing guns made in Israel and other places that were not even designed in 1996!!
So the serious gun crimes committed here now are by people gun running semi-autos.
And even more ridiculous is the fact that there were more SKSs and SKKs sold in Australia than the entire amount of guns bought back or handed back.
So out there, hidden in sheds and holes in the ground, are truckloads of SKSs and SKKs and y'know what.......there hasn't been a shooting committed with a SKS or SKK since they were banned in '96.
No one is selling them to bikie gangs or drug traffickers; they've just put 'em on mothballs.
Sounds like the people hiding them at the moment were the ones who were safe with them in the first place, wouldn't you say?

[Jacko]

I remember Kombi a few years back when Howard was trying to gain public favour by holding a government reception for the 2 Tasmanian miners that survived that tragic cave in - one of them had the cheek to ask him what chance of getting our semi auto's back to which Howard  replied "Buckleys mate"!

.22 semi auto's where banned because they where / still are a favourite for crims to cut down as hold up guns and one was used by a phsyco in the killings in Melbourne { Hoddel ? St } . Semi Auto and Pump action shotties - blame Hollywood for their ban - we have all seen the power they posses in the movies  . Pump and Lever action centrefires , got me confused aswell why we still got them - better shut up about it - don't want to be giving them any idea's ? I to am intrigued with how many SKS's and variations where sold and how many where handed back , have not thought about that for years . It is still possible to posses a semi auto longarm but the hoops the legislation has folks jumping through ensure very very few are out there legally .


A month or 6 weeks back when I was down at the Police station applying for my permit to aquire a gent which appeared to be in his early 30's was there who 5 years previous had applied for a pistol licence and was knocked back due to him having been convicted of a driving causing death charge when he was a teenager . He had not realised it was necessary for him to disclose this on his first application , his application was rejected on the grounds he had tried to conceal this conviction - penalty 5 years before he can take up his chosen sport . The poor bugger made a terrible mistake which claimed a life , I cant and nobody should judge him . The assumption / judgement from the Authories is that he is a criminal not a character that has reformed / payed the price for a crime when all he did was make a clerical error - besides the officer assisting him at the time should have double checked the paperwork before he left the first time or instructed him in how to do it .

I have proven I am a better citizen than those that don't own firearms simply by passing the governments firearms legislation . I had to go through the licencing process again when the Queensland government introduced licences for crossbows . I make , sorry made crossbows for hunting and occasional target use . I have to apply for an armourers permit to continue my hobby and if I choose to make more crossbows I must convert my garage into an armoury and have it approved before I can do so . DOES THIS APPLY TO THE HOME GUNSMITH - I SUSPECT IT DOES under the Queensland weapons act . Now I have no target facilities to practice with my crossbows as the practice ranges have the same requirments as a centrefire rifle range does . Archery clubs can not meet the requiements . I can only shoot them on rural zoned land of over 40 acres assuming the neighboors don't have a whinge .

The ridiculous thing with crossbows is that the only part of the crossbow which requires licencing is the stock - in there wisdom they decided that you cant restict them as a unit but a part as until such times as conventional bows and arrows are restricted the legislation would prove too cumbersome . I also note that the crossbow licence is a Catorgory M - for Miscelaneous ?? This alarms me as the mongrels have a foot in the door to class slingshots , knives anything as a Catorgory M weapon now . Where will it end

regards Jacko