[Ronaldus Magnus]

Guns were not banned or confiscated in Australia. This is a myth that, for some reason, has gained a huge amount of currency in the US. Australia does have some quite stringent gun control laws (universal licencing, universal registration, for example) but guns are still legal and there are millions of firearms legally held by private citizens.

Really? Oh that's wonderful news! I am so glad to hear that my friends down there didn't really have to turn in all their class D firearms (all semi-auto and pump action non-rimfire long guns as well as all handguns in meaningful calibers) like they said they did. I must say that I am greatly relieved to hear that it was all in their heads. And to think, they told me that all of you "subjects" were now effectively limited to pre-1890's firearm technology (bolt-actions and break-actions), and only then if you can prove to the government that you have a "genuine reason" to be graced with a permit for registration. Thank you for setting all of us Americans free from the "myths" we hold about the present state of freedom in your Utopian commonwealth. </s>

[naturalman1975]

Nice try at sarcasm, mate, but I happen to be Category D licenced (also handgun licenced, with a few A/Bs as well).

I live here. I know the laws. I know how they work.

[naturalman1975]

To add to my last in the interests of actually being informative, seeing I'm complaining about misinformation, to a great extent I agree about the handgun laws - they're ridiculous and stupid in many ways, although the barrel length restriction in my view is much more problematic than the calibre ones - I think .38 calibre is adequate for self defence, but the barrel length rules means you often don't have a great deal of choice when buying a handgun.

I know a lot of people who have Category C and D licences - 99.9% of applications for such licences are approved. There are a lot of people who complain about not being able to own Cat C or Cat D, and frankly, I've never been able to figure out what they're talking about. Unless they have old criminal convictions, they should be able to be able to get a C or even D licence. My impression is that most of them have never tried and frankly I find it hard to have any sympathy for somebody who isn't willing to make the effort and instead whinges about not being able to own guns that other people have done what is necessary to own.

A lot of people seem far happy whinging about having rights taken away than going out and doing what they have to do if they want to exercise those rights.