OMG! Guns! More Guns! In Australia! OMG!

1. It really sucks that I can sit in California and feel smug that at least the gun laws I have to live with aren’t as bad as most countries out there. Sad, but true, that what’s considered a “slave state” by some is still better than most countries. If we lose these rights in America then the world truly does become a darker place.

   • I was surprised to learn in the last year that you’d have better firearms rights in Canada, Norway, Switzerland and New Zealand than New York or California. Even so, you’re better off than Australia or the UK.

     • I don’t know, CG. In Ca. I don’t have to get a permit to buy a snubby .38. Some of the countries you mentioned have barrel restrictions and prohibited classes and such as that on handguns. As tight as our laws are I’ve managed to collect a safe full of guns and I don’t have to submit to any police inspections of my security or safe.

       • But in Canada and NZ you can own an AR15, a Sub 2000 and an M1A. NZ makes buying a suppressor surprisingly easy. You can buy 30 round magazines in Scandinavia. They may have essentially banned concealed carry in some of the countries I’ve mentioned but it’s nearly impossible to get a CCW in CA anyways.

         If it’s any consolation, I’m a Connecticut resident with an AR15 I’m still building but I’d love to buy a Saiga .223 still legal in your state.

         And licensing to buy firearms never really bothered me, it’s the inevitable abuse by government officials that erks me.

       • In Ca. we can own AR’s and M1a’s. My son owned a Saiga in 7.62×39. If I had not already owned an SKS I would have bought one for myself. It was nice. Basically an AK that passes Ca. muster.

         And yeah, the licensing firearms is a huge deal. You’re not freer than Ca. if you have to get the government and the police to sign off before you buy a gun. Whether it’s a rifle, shotgun or pistol.

       • In many counties you can get a CCW rather easily. Humboldt and Del Norte practically give them away to everyone that applies.

         Many people dont apply. The county, however, has over 1k active permits. The only problem that’s keeping me from getting one is the price tag. Something around almost 200 for the application, then there’s the range test, the training, the range ammo(because the range that does it won’t let you use outside ammo and you need to blow off almost 100 rounds) and the NICS check.

         Comes out to over 300. That I can’t pull out of my pocket as a disabled American.

   • Most other countries (I’m looking at you, Europe,) don’t have anywhere near the protections on the freedom of speech that we have, either.

2. What is so wrong about this guys quote is that crime in the states has been declining while gun ownership has increased. How does he reconcile that?

3. America’s ever-increasing gun ownership has led to some horrific crimes,

   Objection, your honor, citing facts not in evidence.

4. I have an Aussie that works with me. He married an America and is a few steps away from greencard to citizen. He always laughs when any American brings up Australian gun control. He says it when down when he was there and the vast majority of gun owners hid, buried or sheet rocked up their guns. He related that most are waiting for the tide to turn back to legal gun ownership. In the country/ranch area they still keep a few at the ready for protection with the rest squirreled away. Ultimately, he points out what we already know, gun control only drives guns underground and makes more crime/criminals.

   • Indeed:
     http://reason.com/archives/2012/12/22/gun-restrictions-have-always-bred-defian

     • Very interesting.

       • It is, and there is a brief synopsis too, with some additional thoughts:
         http://synonblog.dailymail.co.uk/2013/02/gun-control-surprise-europeans-like-americans-resist-any-gun-ban.html

5. Australia is a penal colony. Criminals aren’t allowed weapons. Except for the aborigines, who were pretty much devastated.

6. I’m just about to finish a 6 month stay in Australia, and my observations of the culture have also been eye-opening in terms of societal behavior and gun-control. The whole anti-gun movement here is actually quite interesting; it required a perfect storm of events and societal norms to actually happen.

   A lot of it boils down to a cultural aversion to firearms due to the vast majority of people living in urban areas; few of these people have ever handled or shot a firearm themselves and consequently have the fear associated with firearms. Additionally, the mindset here is distinctly socialist: the government’s job is to take care of all the citizens, and people trust the government to make the right decision FOR the people. It ends up being like Bloomberg’s vision of New York City: liquor is $60/bottle, cigarettes $20 / pack, etc. Coupled with a Newtown like event, the scene was ripe for a civilian disarmament push, which was accomplished in 13weeks by a CONSERVATIVE prime minister.

   The results weren’t terribly surprising; the military went door-to-door to collect various firearms but only collected 10% of the firearms they predicted were held.
   The next election cycle, gun owners responded with their vote and the majority of the anti-gun supporters were ousted from government, and while there still isn’t a strong pro-gun movement, guns are readily accessible if you are willing to get the appropriate permit.

7. Every time I hear the “what valid reason?” or “no one needs” statements, I respond with two simple questions:
   (a) And you have the authority to decide what is “valid” or what someone “needs” because … ?????
   (b) No one needs a swimming pool, a garage, or two cars. Does that make it okay if government bans them?

8. From Aussie Gun Controller X in the video, commenting on a person who owns many firearms:

   “All obtianed through this lawful permit process.”

   Sounds legal to me.

Comments are closed.