Just my 2 cents worth...
The Fireams laws here changed as a result of a shooting in 1996 by a lunatic on the Island state of Tasmania. A killing spree nown as the Port Arthur Massacre!!! He used a banned AR15 for this task, a rifle that was handed into the Victorian State police long before hand as a banned weapon... How did this banned weapon get into the hands of this man?
Never been disclosed... This man was refused a firearm by the local Firearm dealers in his town and surrounding area!
This same man with a well below average IQ killed people with such efficiency, it would be near impossible for a Special forces or SAS soldier to achieve!!! I believe the U.S based NRA researched this... This same murderer managed to kill in 2 places within 10 mins of each other. A distance that takes a measured 20mins to drive!!! How did this all happen, no one knows as "Our" great and fantasic Government wouldnot permit an official enquiry into it!!!! Susss??? Yes it stinks...........
Within months we are being disarmed - pump action shotguns, semi automatic shotguns, semi automatic rimfire and center fire rifles. now as of June, handguns are to face the axe!!! You must be a member of a recognised gun club to shoot your handgun and are not permitted to shoot it outside of Club events... you must shoot at a min of 8 events per year and owning a handgun for self defence of hunting is not a valid reason for ownership!!!
Our Govt has worked in very closely witht he U.N on this disarming issue and as no surprise we have followed the U.K public disarmamnet virtually stop by step!!! Our Govt is even advising the Sth African Govt on Disarming policies! Great state of affairs!!!
As for licensing, I can only speak for my state. I have a 12 guage DB shotgun which I licenses a few years ago. I very nearly didnot get permission to add this to my license as I already had a single barrel .410 shotgun! It as been policy here to license only one calibre or rifle type to an licensed shooter. I explained the difference between the 2 calibers to my local Police whom did eventually license the 12 guage after many snide remarks and many delays!!! If I was a Club shooter I wouldnot have faced as many problems, but I am a rancher/farmer and this was for hunting!
On another occassion whilst having a licensed Savage 99 .243, I was offered a Mannlicher Schoenauer .243 which I applied to license... At the time I planned to sell the Savage to replace it with the Mannlicher. It was insisted by my local and regional Police that the Mannlicher wouldnot be licensed to me until my Savage was sold and even then I had to show justifiable reason for applying for the new .243 as I had a .22hornet on my license!!! Crazy - yes and it took 4 months to get approval on the Mannlicher!!!
This is where we are at over here. Some people have less hassle than others [if there is sucha thing] with licensing, but many don`t! I have friends both in firearms trade, Firearms branch of the Police force and with an ear in Parliamnet. The rumblings and direction we are taking definitely point to a dis-armed public!!!
cheers,
Cam....
