
Originally Posted by
cartm58
Interesting thread
Fact is since Howard changed the Gun Law and removed automatic weapons from the Land death by gun in Australia has in the 10 years since declined by 50% and mass death by guns 100%
An interesting fact - and the opposite of the UK, where gun crime has risen every year since the 1997 ban on semi-auto's and pistols. However, both before and after that date, gun crime attributable to legal/licensed guns was near zero anyway! Wonder why it was so different here - would be interesting to look at all the stats involved...
Also, in the case of the 1996 tragedy that prompted the law change, it's a widely held belief that the existing laws might well have been enough to have prevented it had everything been done properly - i.e. the perpetrator was potentially not a fit person to own a firearm, and this might well have been discovered had some of the facts which emerged at the inquiry been followed up at the time rather than after the fact. A true shame, but the fact remains that guns don't kill people, people kill people...guns just potentially make it easier if you give them to people with that intent.
That said, I agree totally that the US with it's culture and total lack of gun control as a right (Which the gun lobby over there are still banging on about, even after this latest episode) is way too far the other way.
Give me sensible, balanced gun laws openly debated between interested parties as oppposed to either none, or ones created for political gain and to appease public opinion in the aftermath of a tragedy any day.
Last edited by jik22; 5th May 2007 at 06:19 PM.
Jeff
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