Mike
Site Co-Founder
https://churchandstate.com.au/3-reasons-australian-gun-control-is-a-failure
SNIP
JOHN HOWARD didn’t ban the gun*used by the scumbag who killed hero police officer, Senior Constable Brett Forte of the Queensland Police Service. His killer, known criminal Rick Maddison, was ultimately also fatally shot after a gunfight with police the following day*[1].
As is often the case when evil acts are committed with firearms, the discussion often turns to gun control. The fact is fully automatic machine guns had already been banned long before the laws John Howard introduced following the Port Arthur massacre. The most important question we all want answered is how to*stop criminal use of illegal firearms. We don’t need token gestures. We need real solutions.
Horrific incidents like this remind us of the reality of the sometimes-lethal threats that police face when protecting our families. My deepest condolences go out to the family and colleagues of Senior Constable Forte, and I cannot thank enough the hard-working members of the police force for risking their lives to protect my family.
In addition to being a dedicated husband and father, business owner, active within my church community and in politics, I am a law abiding licensed gun owner. I have decades of safe firearms training and skills.
So why is Australia’s famous gun control obviously failing?
1. Law Makers Fail to Differentiate Between Criminals &*Law Abiding Firearms Owners
It might come as a surprise to some, but there are over 1.9 million firearms licenses in Australia and over 5.5 million legally owned firearms*[2]. This a considerable number given our population is just tipping 24 million. Contrary to popular misconception, Australia has a thriving and long standing safe, legal “gun culture”.
As we have been reminded this week, Australia also has violent criminals who often use guns (almost exclusively unregistered, illegal guns) to commit crime. The national debate surrounding guns and gun control almost always simplistically conflates these two*groups of people. But is it reasonable to do so?
Rick Maddison (a known criminal – i.e. rigorously excluded from legally owning firearms) was able to access a fully-automatic machine gun despite Australia having some of the strictest gun control in the world. Both the police and media confirmed that Rick Maddison used a fully automatic machine gun to commit this heinous crime*[3]. Footage gathered by a local resident clearly contains the sound of a fully automatic machine gun being fired[4].
If our gun control laws are meant to keep these types of firearms out of the hands of criminals, they failed abysmally in this case, with lethal consequences. I can’t help but wonder if police weren’t tied up with policing the millions of sporting and hunting rifles owned by good guys like me, they might have intercepted this highly illegal machine gun before it could be used in such a horrific crime.
2.*Current Gun Laws Create A False Sense Of Security
An unintended consequence of legislation that fails to fully take into account all of the evidence, or (as is the case with gun control) legislation that is surrounded by such hysteria that even the mere mention of reviewing its efficacy is met with howls of indignation, is that the community is lulled into a false sense of security.
. . .
SNIP
JOHN HOWARD didn’t ban the gun*used by the scumbag who killed hero police officer, Senior Constable Brett Forte of the Queensland Police Service. His killer, known criminal Rick Maddison, was ultimately also fatally shot after a gunfight with police the following day*[1].
As is often the case when evil acts are committed with firearms, the discussion often turns to gun control. The fact is fully automatic machine guns had already been banned long before the laws John Howard introduced following the Port Arthur massacre. The most important question we all want answered is how to*stop criminal use of illegal firearms. We don’t need token gestures. We need real solutions.
Horrific incidents like this remind us of the reality of the sometimes-lethal threats that police face when protecting our families. My deepest condolences go out to the family and colleagues of Senior Constable Forte, and I cannot thank enough the hard-working members of the police force for risking their lives to protect my family.
In addition to being a dedicated husband and father, business owner, active within my church community and in politics, I am a law abiding licensed gun owner. I have decades of safe firearms training and skills.
So why is Australia’s famous gun control obviously failing?
1. Law Makers Fail to Differentiate Between Criminals &*Law Abiding Firearms Owners
It might come as a surprise to some, but there are over 1.9 million firearms licenses in Australia and over 5.5 million legally owned firearms*[2]. This a considerable number given our population is just tipping 24 million. Contrary to popular misconception, Australia has a thriving and long standing safe, legal “gun culture”.
As we have been reminded this week, Australia also has violent criminals who often use guns (almost exclusively unregistered, illegal guns) to commit crime. The national debate surrounding guns and gun control almost always simplistically conflates these two*groups of people. But is it reasonable to do so?
Rick Maddison (a known criminal – i.e. rigorously excluded from legally owning firearms) was able to access a fully-automatic machine gun despite Australia having some of the strictest gun control in the world. Both the police and media confirmed that Rick Maddison used a fully automatic machine gun to commit this heinous crime*[3]. Footage gathered by a local resident clearly contains the sound of a fully automatic machine gun being fired[4].
If our gun control laws are meant to keep these types of firearms out of the hands of criminals, they failed abysmally in this case, with lethal consequences. I can’t help but wonder if police weren’t tied up with policing the millions of sporting and hunting rifles owned by good guys like me, they might have intercepted this highly illegal machine gun before it could be used in such a horrific crime.
2.*Current Gun Laws Create A False Sense Of Security
An unintended consequence of legislation that fails to fully take into account all of the evidence, or (as is the case with gun control) legislation that is surrounded by such hysteria that even the mere mention of reviewing its efficacy is met with howls of indignation, is that the community is lulled into a false sense of security.
. . .
