IMO the issue is assaut rifles. Have all the pistols, rifles and shotties you need with reasonable processes to obtain them, but there is no purpose for any private citizen to own an assault rifle. As for the "protect your freedom from the govt" argument, all the Montana Militia in the world wouldn't last 5 minutes against professional soldiers. Or for that matter the air force, just call in an air strike and its goodbye freedom fighters.
Why isn't protecting your life/family from intruders that want to steal/kill you not a good reason? Why does it matter how many you own? Like cars different weapons have different functions. How long does it take you to draw a weapon? Even an unloaded weapon you should be ready in between 2-5 seconds. Unless the person comes in without making a noise I think 5 seconds is more than enough time. Notice that these mass shootings always happen in locations in the USA that don't allow guns to be carried?? (schools/cinema/malls etc)
You missed the point, psychological testing should be mandatory on all gun ownership as the greatest suicide rate in rural communities is farmers shooting themselves due to many reasons. When a farmer is faced with financial ruin is when he/she is most prone to shooting themselves....the bigger problem is when they take out their own family before turning it on themselves.
If the world was a safe place, you might have a point but it's not and since emergency service response times are at least 5-15mins, I don't see how you aren't concerned.. Being a 1%er living in Toorak, is probably why you don't get it.
I might also add that I cannot equate US gun laws with the "protection" of freedom. I'd feel quite repressed living in the US knowing that a shooting spree could occur in a public place at any given moment just because some mental case with unfettered access to guns might lose control of their senses (and that's ignoring the impact access to guns have in the domestic sphere... people killing their partners, children and/or themselves with ease over domestic disputes - the most famous recent case being that NFL footballer). http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/12/14/1337221/a-timeline-of-mass-shootings-in-the-us-since-columbine/?mobile=nc Crazy stuff. The price to quell a sector's paranoia about the "tyranny of government" carries too high a price that is paid by ordinary, vulnerable people including school children, IMHO. And, as pointed out, even accepting the false proposition that guns keep governments in check, if the US government were ever to go rogue on its people, the US defence force would wipe the "freedom fighters" out in 5 mins!!!!!!! Dangerous AND delusional.
Look...I sort of do get it.....but if everyone has a gun, then I'm more likely to be shot by an angry mechanic than if only criminals have guns. Oh...wait...never mind.
BUT, and this is the thing that I do not get and cannot understand why American's don't get this, it is 99% likely that the person who is intent on assaulting you will have a gun (in America) thus the fact that you have a gun means absolutely nothing. After all they will 99.9999% of the time already have their gun ready and thus you can't do any more about it than I, who has no gun. In Australia, or New Zealand, the likelihood of a criminal having a gun is considerably less, thus I have a better chance. In conclusion guns have NOT made American's safer or better at defending themselves from the government or a single person because everybody has easy access to them. Even goober's post (http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showpost.php?p=141973355&postcount=319) about somebody trying to steal something from the gun holding person is an unlikely situation in America ... the other person would probably have had a gun. I've read or been pointed to rape statistics comparing America to Australia as a pro gun argument. But again if I was going to go around raping girls in America ... I'd get a flippin gun first. I thus do not think the gun has anything to do with the better stats in America. Either reporting issues or better values. Pete
I dont think you've seen how much hardware some of these guys consider "personal use" Went to one of the guys barracks on Kwajelin Island in the Pacific for a few drinks, after we were already pissed from drinking at the Caribou bar and I have never seen so many weapons crammed into ONE room in my life. What he needed them for on an island 4 kms long with only about 100 people there I have no idea. Kwajelin was used for testing incoming ICBMs launched from California .... supposedly took 17 mins to get there and it crashes into the atoll lagoon
Thanks for asking, JM... what can I say? Each day is better than the next. Hope you and your family are well!
"MORE than 400 people were robbed or assaulted at gunpoint in Victoria in the past year. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/assaults-robberies-and-gun-crimes-claim-400-victims/story-fn7x8me2-1226125893128 It appears that many of of the firearms are illegally imported through Australia's porous borders. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-03-14/pistol-import-ring-exposes-customs-service/3889450 The way i see it, criminals don't seem to have a problem getting hold of firearms to use in crimes. Can't see that changing, either. What the tighter firearm laws have done in Australia is to create extra hoops to jump through for those people who are going to do the right thing. M
