Private ownership of firearms

for me there are two sides to this

Gun laws haven't reduced gun related deaths in Australia. Compare that to any country. An increase in guns does not equal an increase in murder.

On the other hand, Australia is experiencing a new type of crime that we previously didnt experience to the extent we do now.
It often goes unreported
This happened near me the other day and i only stumbled upon it today in the online paper
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/man-stabbed-in-head-during-fight/story-fn7x8me2-1226038776161
but it happens all the time now.
I dont want these gangs getting their hands on guns but on the other hand, if they come in to your house to rob or rape your family you want to be able to kill them.

I think home defence rifles should be legalised for long term tax paying citizens with no violent criminal records, over 25 years old. They should be easier to acquire but the laws for misusing them should be very heavy handed.

I agree

whats with the pic of Oprah?

meh,maybe i'll change that since her visit to aus is over and done with.
everyone asks

You sir, are wrong. I CAN deny that they aren't pests, and I WILL *emotes with top-hat. monocle, and waxed mustache, nose turned upwards*

Calling something a pest is highly subjective and seeks to de-legitimise whatever worth it has. Feral cats could be called 'pests' to native birds, but to both feral cats and native birds humans are a pest. Hell, people on this forum might consider you a pest for even posting here Following that thinking they may not show you respect or offer insults and the like...

No, not pests. I'd like to think of it as... a challenge

And I agree, I don't know how alcohol is going to help a sick or maimed animal that is beyond recovery, other than give it one helluva drunken last hurrah...

Yes, there are people who own rifles that are responsible, just as there are responsible drinkers. I think it's too simplistic to separate fatalities into neat and orderly categories, let alone try to rank them without considering the complexities of their nature and the relationship they share with one another. Who knows, you could have a drunken idiot driving a car swerving across the road on the wrong lane at high speeds firing his gun at oncoming traffic in a game of chicken ;D

Mate anything could happen, I could see you having a shoot at the SSAA Springvale range. You'd love it.

I thing taking firearms of citizens would be a very dangerous move indeed! When citizens dont own firearms they cease to be citizens and then become part of a dictatorship, just ask those who lived in Adoulf Hitlers times! The citizens were forced to hand in their firearms and look what happend.

If you think about it most crimes involving firearms in Australia are committed by criminals, who don't have licenses, aquire firearms illegally, the average firearms owner is not a problem in society, peoples fear of guns is way out of proportion to the real reality.

Ask your self this have I ever had a gun pointed at me, have I ever been shot or anyone ever attempt to murder me with a gun at all? Now ask yourself have I ever had a car accident or have ever nearly had one, nearly run over by one? now which one really poses more threat to your life?

If you want to really find out just how much of a threat to your life a guns posses, just go to the beareau of statistics and check out what really posses the most threat to your life. It's hospitals, where some 18,000+ people die each year from what they call misadventure, things like opps going wrong, injuries associated with failed opps etc, when you do decide to check the site out have a look at what weapons is most used to kill people, it is NO WEAPON AT ALL most people die from being strangled and bashed to death etc, knives and guns are very low down the order.

The other thing you will see if you check out the beareau of statistics is that the next highest on the list of thing to kill you is CARS, and strangely enough PEOPLE FALLING OVER! I think from memory that was up around 1000 people per year, deaths involving guns was around 60-90 from memory.

Would you also be interested to know that more people die from water related sports than all others that people participate in in Australia.

You will have also seen reports about shooters wanting to shoot in National Parks in NSW. whilst this is partially true, it would be in a very controlled way ie it would be carried out in the more remote parts of some national parks not all of them as it been made out to be. People say it will be too dangerous and people will be killed or endangered, would you be interested to know that hunting has been carried out in National Parks in Victoria for quite a few years now with no incidents at all, no one has ever been shot.

Would you also be interested in knowing that Hunting is already carried out in National Parks in NSW and all around Australia infact - mostly using helicopters and members of National Parks and Wildlife on foot - still we dont have a massive body count. It costs on average $350 per feral animal to be shot by helicopter crews, hunters will do it for free saving tax payers millions a year, infact they are already doing it in state forests at this very moment.

Just something to think about

Great points red! I'm not surprised that know one has responded.

If hunting was banned I don't think guns should be banned also. A lot of people go target shooting and I assume it's quite enjoyable. I think I would probably enjoy it myself. I participated in archery once and really enjoyed that and I don't see much of a difference. If you have played darts and enjoyed that odds are you'd enjoy target shooting.

People say guns are dangerous and they kill and this is true but they are not the only things that are dangerous and potential killers. The large knife in your knife block can be a dangerous weapon also. I am curious to know how many people die from guns in Australia every year. Not that many I would believe. It seems to be human nature to have irrational fears. Here is a scenario set in America to consider;

A woman called Sarah has a daughter called Sienna. Sienna has two friends Kristy and Deana. Kristy's parents own a handgun and Deana has a pool in her backyard. Sarah only lets Sienna play at Deana's but not at Kristy's because Kristy's parents have a gun and she deems it not safe. Tell me if you think this is a logical thing for Sarah to do? Would you feel the same way?

With the utmost respect, Red: sod off with your Neanderthalian rhetoric. The type of people you'll most likely fool with your trite are the same people who use words like misunderestimate and childrens - unfortunately the same kind of people depicted in idiocracy that shall some day inherit the earth. But then you knew this, posting on a forum that holds values as diametrically opposed as Palestinians and Jews

Know one? Know one at all?