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Enlighten me, sir. What exactly is your problem?

He might be referring to the Australian goverment having banned firearms. I'm not completely familiar with the current laws down under, but if I recall private citizens were under some large restrictions when it came to owning personal firearms. Generally speaking we could ask the same question if we were discussing the British. We feel that both countries citizens are responsible enough that they should not have any restrictions on the God given right of self defense.

What are the laws in this area?

Anyway, praying for their safety and that of all our brave allies.

The Australian government did not "ban firearms", per se. What happened is that, after the worst massacre of innocent civilians ever to happen at the hands of a single gunman (certainly in Australia, and I think in the world - at that point - there may be worse cases now) back in 1996, strict controls were put on the ownership and use of guns.

I could post links, but I am too tired to search for them right now (it's nearly midnight Sunday here). Try Googling for "Port Arthur massacre" (April 1996, IIRC), "Australian firearms laws" and so on.

Australia is not America - YET. I, for one (aged 31), have never been "up close and personal" with a firearm, and I daresay most of my suburban friends would say the same. Guns do not hold the same place in the Australian psyche, even amongst conservatives, as they do in the USA. Different countries, different customs. I daresay it's different in the "outback", but such a small proportion of Australians live there (we are one of the most urbanised nations on earth, FYI, despite the myth of Crocodile Dundee et al) that to the vast majority of Australians, the change in the gun laws didn't mean much at all.