Australian PRIME Minister Julia Gillard asked to join push against handguns
For those interested, heres the article.
From: AAP
April 17, 20122:47PM
needs to step in and work with the states to ban semi-automatic handguns in response to Sydney's plague of drive-by shootings, a gun control group says.
The guns are the weapon of choice for criminals terrorising western Sydney because they are lightweight and easy to handle, says Samantha Lee, chair of the National Coalition for Gun Control.
"Sydney is drowning in drive-by shootings," she told reporters today.
"It is actually time for the prime minister to step in, like (former prime minister) John Howard did in 2002 after the Monash shooting, and in 1996 after the Port Arthur massacre."
Five shootings were recorded overnight in western Sydney, four of which are believed to be part of an ongoing turf war between the Hells Angels and Nomads bikies.
There have been eight shootings in Sydney's west in just four days and 19 so far this month.
"It is time for the prime minister to call on all the states and territories to ban semi-automatics across Australia," Ms Lee said.
"The Premier Barry O'Farrell should initiate this conversation with the prime minister, and it should take place during COAG."
The shootings coincide with the release of crime statistics showing a 41 per cent increase in drive-by attacks in the two years to last December.
About half the 100 incidents took place in three regions of western Sydney - Canterbury-Bankstown, Central Western Sydney and the Fairfield-Liverpool areas.
Ms Lee said it was "crazy" that semi-automatic handguns were legal while semi-automatic longarms are banned.
"It's an anomaly in the laws that really needs to be addressed," she said.
"Handguns are the weapon of choice for drive-by shootings because they are easy to conceal, lightweight and very high powered.
"If you stop the number of guns in the legal market you will eventually stop the number of guns falling into the illegal market.
"We'll eventually see the source and supply being strangled, which means it will be more difficult for those who commit drive-by shootings to get a handgun."
The NSW Greens on Tuesday released figures obtained from police which showed a handgun was used in 87 per cent of the drive-by attacks.
The Greens also said the number of registered handguns in NSW had "exploded" from 24 per cent in the past six years to 42,127 weapons.
"If we want to reduce the lethality of criminals, if we want to reduce the number of drive-by shootings, the best step this government can take is reduce the number of those easy to conceal, high-powered handguns in circulation," said Greens MP David Shoebridge.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/br...against-handguns/story-e6frf7jx-1226330262473
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A typical response from sporting shooters;
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Five shootings were recorded overnight in western Sydney, four of which are believed to be part of an ongoing turf war between the Hells Angels and Nomads bikies."
Ohhh so it wasent LAFO's then
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The guns are the weapon of choice for criminals"
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Ohhh yes now we are starting to make some sense
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Handguns are the weapon of choice for drive-by shootings because they are easy to conceal, lightweight and very high powered"
Yes some handguns are high powered 'just because it is "Handgun" does not automatically make it high powered
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If you stop the number of guns in the legal market you will eventually stop the number of guns falling into the illegal market"
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Really..? Ohh of course thats correct 'because that raid in the Sydney post office that uncovered an ( OVERSEAS GUN SMUGGLING OPERATION) was all the LAFO's fault .
How on earth does this make the news..? It's just a bias opinionated article with no factual evidence backing it up what so ever.
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The latest on the Poll. Thanks for those who voted. Cheers, Haz.
Results: Guns and Weapons Expo
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Should the Guns and Weapons Expo be allowed to operate in Ipswich?
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No 31.64% (262 votes)
Total votes: 828