Posted on 10/04/2017 12:53:15 PM PDT by PROCON
While authorities investigate and Americans seek answers in the wake of Sunday’s massacre in Las Vegas, Australia is offering to help the U.S. reshape its gun laws.
Following a mass shooting in Port Arthur in 1996 that left 35 people dead, Australian officials enacted major gun control legislation. Now officials are offering to help America do the same, according to a cable news station based in Singapore.
“What we can offer is our experience,” said Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, talking about her country’s gun buyback program and subsequent ban on semi-automatic and automatic weapons.
“But at the end of the day it’s going to be up to the United States legislators and lawmakers, and the United States public, to change the laws to ensure this type of incident doesn’t happen again,” she said.
Nearly 661,000 firearms were sold back to the Australian government and subsequently destroyed in the aftermath of the Port Arthur massacre. In addition to weapons bans, they enacted a minimum ownership age and required licenses to own firearms.
“We haven’t had a massacre since,” wrote Australian broadcaster Richard Glover in the Washington Post Tuesday. “We, of course, know we could still experience a massacre. We are not smug. We’re grateful about our luck.”
On his radio program this week, Glover asked Tim Fischer, Australia’s deputy prime minister in the mid-1990’s, about the political backlash he received when he took on the gun lobby in his country.
“Lynched in effigy, but no real harm done,” Fischer said, describing a demonstration in 1996 where angry protestors destroyed a dummy made to look like him. In a state election soon after, Fischer’s party, which represented many farmers in the country, lost 12 seats to a pro-gun party, but eventually regained all lost political support. Fischer says it was worth it.
“We had the courage on both sides of the aisle in the House of Representatives…to make the stand we made,” Fischer said. “The vast majority of Australians came to accept the outcome.”
The country continues to accept the move. Just last weekend, Australians finished turning in an estimated 26,000 guns in the first national firearm amnesty since the sweeping reforms more than two decades ago. Australians were able to legally hand in unregistered weapons without giving personal details over a three month period. Aussies caught carrying an unregistered gun face a hefty fine and up to 14 years behind bars.
Fischer said Australians should think twice about coming to America for vacation, something he said after last summer’s massacre at a gay night club in Orlando. He also said the White House is wrong to say now isn’t the time for gun control.
“Now is exactly the time,” he said, adding, “the U.S.A. as a whole should take our laws and look at the template of our laws and challenge the NRA.”
Gun rights activists argue the crime rate increased following the gun ban as well as murders of other sorts. While the country experienced a surge in sexual assaults and robberies immediately following the gun ban, overall crime by 2012 dropped back down to pre-ban levels, crime data shows.
However, a 2016 study shows that gun deaths as well as non-gun deaths have declined in Australia, but researchers said the results may be because of improvements in technology like cell phones rather than the legislation. Rates in the U.S. also followed similar trends in that same time frame.
Australian Leftists, shut up! We have our own loony left to deal with an do NOT need your voice added to the cacophony.
Where was all the outcry for panel truck control after the incident in France????
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We already had that when the DUMMIES IN CHARGE ‘mis-identified’ a Blue 1990 Chevrolet Caprice with a lone gunman in the trunk, for a White Van, Box Truck, White Step Van, etc etc etc when most ANYONE in a VAN, BOX TRUCK, etc was ‘suspected’ of being the DC Bushwacker.
(I refuse to call them snipers because sniper is an honest way to make a living legally)
That little ‘exercise’ convinced me that if I were going to mount something ‘serious’ in this country, I would strategically place about 6 such teams throughout the country, have vehicles ‘break down’ in the middle of bridges and tunnels and sit back and watch the fools ‘chase their tails’ as was done in the DC area during that short period of time.
The FBI has the two as being WHITE RED NECKS and all along it was two sorrowful individuals who actually hung around and chatted up cops and witnesses in a couple of instances.
Anyone with intelligence running that little ‘shooters op’ and no telling what may have taken place.
Sort of reminiscent of the ‘results’ of ‘The Mouse that Roared’ when Grand Fenwick ‘attacked & captured’ the USofA
We fought a war so we could write our own laws. It was important to us. We’re funny that way.
Look at our Bill of Rights and throw another STFU on the Barbie, mate.
When the chicoms move on Australia, I won’t be lending a firearm to defend an Australian home.
Australia is far less populated than the US, doesn’t have legions of feral armed hoodrats prowling its cities, has a far more secured immigration system and with its island geography, doesn’t have 20,000,000 illegals bedding down inside its borders every night.
It’s a classic apples-and-oranges comparison. So screw that.
Tell Hillary and Gabby that.
Heartily concur!!
I don’t want to live in the United States of Australia!
How a many massacres did Australia have before the Port Arthur massacre, Richard Glover?
Not many!
The terrorists can easily sneak AK’s into Australia and have another massacre. Then Australia will ban guns outright. Then the terrorists will strike again and the Aussie government will come back with “Get used to it. It’s just part of living in today’s world”
Only guns could have stopped the largest terrorist attack on US soil. Over 3,000 killed. No guns. Have fun with your muslim terrorist wankers. Wake me up when you no longer bow to a queen.
Thanks for that Greek-Texan translation :-)
So says the former British penal colony that wishes to make Australia a penile colony again or maybe a penile-less colony.
1st we will get mandatory Universal Background Checks. Next, full registration, followed soon by categorical confiscation (SA’s) and trust me, we will go further than Australia. All it takes is dem majorities and a dem SCOTUS.
>>So says the former British penal colony that wishes to make Australia a penile colony again or maybe a penile-less colony.<<
The “Crocodile Dundee” macho image of Australia is dead and buried. Put that country in a dress and tell it to hold our coat while we make the world safe for freedom.
It certainly is in no position to be giving advice to grown ups.
Australia is a nice place. When I was last there, an Aussie WWII vet spoke A LOT about how much they appreciated our protecting them from a Nipponese invasion. I repeat - nice place, but it ain’t America, not by a long shot. We’ll get along just fine with our Constitution, thank you very much.
Thanks Julie, we appreciate your contrabuion to the discussion.
We will call your secretary if we need your services.
Sincerely,
5.56mm
Contribution.
5.56mm
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