A TTAG reader living in the Land Down Under writes:
Long time reader writing in from Australia, the land where everything is upside down and paintball markers are considered to be deadly weapons requiring a safe and a background check (and no, we have no idea who drinks Fosters). Thought you guys would be interested to hear about the latest Australian gun grab. Well it’s not exactly a grab like the ’96 “buyback.” More along the lines of “new sensible regulation to better protect the community from deadly baby eating guns” . . .
The problems started with the forthcoming introduction of the Turkish-made Adler seven-shot lever-action shotgun into the Australia market [as above]. They’re pretty cool. [The promotional video’s been deleted. Click here for the pdf of Adler’s ad. Click here for a full product description.] After the media caught wind of this “new technology,” the anti-gunners have started referring to the shotgun as a “legal semi-auto.” Here’s theage.com.au’s take:
The Adler is being imported by Queensland-based NIOA. Fairfax Media understands the company has been unable to keep up with demand for the firearm, with almost 7000 ordered.
Several gun shops planning to sell the weapon have been taking pre-orders for the gun, which costs less than $800. NIOA expects to take its first shipment in August.
“What it is is a semi auto weapon,” says Laurie Levy, campaign director for the Coalition against Duck Shooting.
“It shouldn’t be able to come to Australia. It’s a rapid fire weapon very much like a pump-action shotgun – in fact it looks like one.”
Rumours then started popping-up about changes to Australia’s firearms laws. Again, not a gun grab per se. A reclassification scheme that would make it harder for Australians to purchase certain firearms.
Shotguns in Australia are classified as a category A firearm, unless pump-action (don’t ask me why) or semi-auto, which is classified as category C. However, a new regulation might be in the works to classify shotguns that can hold more than five shots as category D, the same restricted class as an AR-15 in its semi-automatic form, while other low-capacity shotguns are moved to category B, commonly for centre-fire bolt-action, lever-action and pump-action rifles.
Of course even if such ridiculous laws are put into place, it would not be the first time it has happened. Western Australia for example, has something similar to the American AWB. Where if in the opinion of the commissioner that a firearm looks too much like an AR (in practise, that means any tacticool bolt-action with pistol grips and rails, especially if it has Barrett in the name), it can be banned. This video below explains it nicely:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD33rt5bUT0
We’re fighting the good fight on this one. And the others. Best Regards, Anonymous (can’t let the local criminals know that I like guns, too much risk here in Australia since gun owners are made to be targets).
This is exactly what happens when the inmates run the asylum. It’s now official (if it wasn’t before) — Australia is the California of the Southern hemisphere.
No it’s much worse.
Not feelin it
Why would locals put up with that? Even the cops in most places there have their backup that’s only 14 hours away if you can reach the radio.
Met some Aussie’s in Kuwait. They were some of the few that weren’t bitchin about being there with US. Can’t see those guys not opening a can over this.
God help them. To the others, when and GOD BLESS if the SHTF and your gun-poor populace takes after you with the jaw-bone of an ass, I will work day and night to prevent Catholic Charities, the Red Cross, and Unicef from alleviating your misery. You tell your kids why you’re hunted.
The locals in OZ put up with it because they have no backing like the NRA. They are forced to do what their government tells them to do or else. Like the NRA or not, Be glad they are on our side.
The 20″ one is pretty nice looking. Just needs a Large Loop Lever option so I can do a Rifleman Flip.
“Laurie Levy, campaign director for the Coalition against Duck Shooting”
Had to read that organization name twice, I googled it and looked at its web page, and I still don’t believe it’s a real thing. Some serious PETA crazy types in Australia.
Sorry mates.
Yup. I did too.
Those are the people who believe meat comes from stores.
So what happens when Sauron’s hordes get across the strait from the North Island?
OK, I’m pro-gun, but meat DOES come from stores. That’s why God gave us big brains and opposible thumbs: so we could 1 – fire guns, 2 – grow grains to ferment and distill whisky, and 3 – put steaks and hamburgers into the shopping cart.
Not only that we have fire to grill our steaks. Raw meat does not taste very good with a good Bourbon. (Ok, I am a yank!)
Good grief. I watched their video on the home page and made it a minute in before I couldn’t take it. They have a “rescue team” that basically goes around scaring ducks away during hunting season. Not a joke. And one said, and I quote, “I see our role as similar to the Red Cross. We go into a war zone to help the innocent victims.”
Is there a facepalm epic enough to respond to that?
You would need to use both hands for that one.
No, it’s a much bigger fail than a simple two handed facepalm. I’m thinking for this level of stupidity your going to need a large truck, a fat guy, and 200 pounds of explosive avocados for a proper “facepalm to fail” ratio.
Google Julia Symons. Psychiatrist broad tried a little to hard to save some ducks a few years back.
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/ill-be-back-shot-duck-hunt-protester-20110320-1c2hc.html
Not even a Hindu god has enough palms to do that justice.
Not to get off topic, but I want one of those shotguns! Are they coming stateside as well?
Amen! That thing looks fun as hell and semi-practical
“…it looks like one.”
And my elbow looks like….
The folks who push this stuff in Australia are to blame…and the people who vote them into office are too.
Ah….no, blaming the few people who actually go and vote for the lesser of 2 evils are not to blame….why do you think voting here in the U.S. Gets lower and lower? Even people on the lower end of the IQ spectrum realize on some level that voting changes very little to nothing.
There is a gun grab about to get underway here in Australia. We now know entire the NFA is up for reconsideration and that the Firearms and Weapons Policy Working Group and Gun Control Australia are behind it. This has just come to light in the last 48 hours.
#96neveragain
““What it is is a semi auto weapon,”” LOL!! Its as semi-auto as a single-action revolver.
So Australia is still a prison island, Eh. The politicians have replaced the Wardens and the guards are now called Coppers?
The largest Stanford Prison Experiment ever it would seem.
So is it a lever action? Then it’s not a semiauto. You might fuss at the ammo capacity or the temerity of someone to work the lever like Lucas McCain, but that doesn’t magically transform the gun’s action. If anything, it illustrates that stupid laws are no match for the free market. Just surrender and everything will be okay.
Good luck, mates.
Lever action shotguns new technology? BS they used to be made in america over 100 years ago and have again been available since the 80s.
I thought it was funny that this repeating shotgun was classified as a category A firearm. In my opinion it should have been classified as a category B with other repeating centrefire firearms. But that is how the laws were written, in haste and ignorance.
When a reproduction of the Winchester (1887) lever action shotgun appeared over a decade ago there was no outcry. But they cost more than twice as much and had reliability issues.
An effort was made to ban, or at least further restrict lever action rifles a while a go, based on their supposed rate of fire (probably by someone who watched too many westerns), but that didn’t happen when experts and magazine writers told them they were a bunch of idiots.
How bad are our gun laws? A double-barreled shotgun with one trigger such as Perazzis used in Olympic sleet and trap events is classified as a semi-automatic shotgun, until a special exemption was made.
We will wait and see on the Adler but the odds are on a complete ban on the type.
Shotguns other than self-loading or pump action, are cat A. The most commonly used shells are birdshot, whether field or target loads, they aren’t terribly dangerous to a well prepared attacker – at 10m wearing a ballistic mask I’d rather be shot at with birdshot than 22lr.
The answer, my Aussie friend, is quite simple.
Just stop complying.
Look at NY state here in the US.
They banned a bunch of stuff and made a hundred thousand plus people instant felons if they didn’t turn in or register their guns.
Guess what?
About 10% complied.
The rest have decide that enough is enough and they’re not going to bow to tyrannical BS anymore.
You don’t have to start shooting coppers to start a revolution.
Resist. Do not comply. Smuggle. Distribute Arms far and wide and dare the coppers to come take them.
The cowards in charge of AU will punk out just like the sociopaths in charge of NYS did, because even sociopaths and cowards can count.
How do you “Not Comply” with the absence of a product?
It’s a concept sometimes known as ‘Vacation’, or ‘Road Trip’ or ‘Holiday’…
Most importantly, Fosters is just an export beer. Like the leftovers. It probably still has more alcohol in it than most of the Seppo tipple, because we all drink it for the taste right?
Also, Australia never had a gun culture, of any kind, ever. There were very few gun owners to give a crap after Port Arthur. If 99% of the pop never had firearms to begin with, and you take them away from the 1% who do, you can do the math. Discussing it like it could be any other way is moot, as it is in England.
Do carry on with the obligatory article 4 times a year about how lawless Australia is without guns, without ever having lived there(don’t talk to me about your holiday). If you do decide to immigrate, I think the Oz government will let you in now if you have $15,000,000. You can eat, sleep, shit and pay taxes there and you’ll be fine, and you can even drink the water without getting the splatters, and the language is the same, mostly…kind of.
Also don’t have a ‘support the troop ribbon’ on your car or talk about what a tough job the cops have, there’s a general disregard for any public employee that borders on the violent, and does.
Australia had 10% gun ownership pre 96. But the owners were concentrated in regional areas (and to a lesser extent) the outer suburbs of the big cities. Most people in the cities had only ever come into contact with guns on American movies. Once the gun grab hysteria got rolling, the minority voice was drowned out.
I’d suggest a majority of gun owners didn’t hand in or register all their weapons. Millions went “missing”. These are being gradually extracted by the police, one raid at a time.
But gun supporters are better organised now. They won’t be able to do it again with the same ease.
Arnold used a lever action shotgun in Terminator II. They are not a bad gun type.
Aussie lad here
3 years experience in low tech warehouse, good with rifle, shovel or forklift.
Anyone care to sponsor for employment immigration visa? :p
Our gun culture is growing, but I am afraid I may be dead before any gains are made.
“3 years experience in low tech warehouse, good with rifle, shovel or forklift.
Anyone care to sponsor for employment immigration visa? :p”
Arm yourself with knowledge. You can operate a computer, find a specific skill and learn it.
I did warehouse work in my teens, pallet-jack surfing was kinda fun, doughnuts and power slides on the propane forklift even more so…
🙂
so a gun modeled after stuff the US used in the 1800’s is “new” and suddenly “ultra deadly.” I’ve seen the insane animals Aussies live with, guns should be the least of those worries.
Adler has their full (13:26) video here; they start talking about the A110 at 1:10 so I jumped the video to start there.
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