Posted on 03/29/2018 9:13:07 AM PDT by Simon Green
(New South Wales Public Order and Riot Squad officers with Colt M4 carbines)
Citing threats posed by gun-armed criminals and potential terrorists, law enforcement in Australia are getting more rifles.
In Victoria, a spokesman for Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton confirmed state police are considering expanding the use of semi-auto rifles for officers, The Age reported. While personnel assigned to Victoria’s Special Operations Group and Critical Incident Response Team already have access to such firepower, patrol officers will likely have access to rifles when needed.
“To enhance our abilities to respond to a major security incident or terrorism attack, we are currently scoping the potential use of a limited allocation of long-arm firearms to better support frontline police,” said an Ashton spokesman.
Victoria isn’t the only state looking to up-arm. In New South Wales, Police Commissioner Mick Fuller confirmed last December that 47 officers were trained on Colt M4 carbines while another 50 were set to be trained. In Queensland, senior officers for years have had Remington R4 Patrolman rifles, designated as the standard service rifle, available for use in high-threat situations as needed.
Contrary to assertions that Australia has not seen a significant shooting event since 1996 when the country instituted a wholesale ban on several types of firearms, in the so-called Brighton Siege last year four people were shot, one fatally, by a terrorist with an illegally acquired shotgun.
In 2016, five people were killed in a mass shooting in Port Lincoln, while police engaging a knife-armed man in Westfield Hornsby left three bystanders injured. Though banned, an AK-47 type rifle was reportedly used in the Ingleburn workplace shooting that left one dead and two more injured the same year. In NSW in 2015, police arrested a man who used a firearm in a triple murder in the rural Hermidale community.
“Despite Australia’s strict gun control regime, criminals are now better armed than at any time since then-Prime Minister John Howard introduced a nationwide firearm buyback scheme in response to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre,” said The Age last year in a special report on the climbing rate of gun crimes in the city of Melbourne, where shootings have become “almost a weekly occurrence.”
Ah, so if the police use it then it’s called a “Patrol Rifle” but if you have it it’s called an “Assault Rifle”.
Yes, I’m sure that makes the gun-grabbers feel better.
But wait! There is no gun violence in Australia because the law-abiding turned all of theirs in by government order. How did bad guys get guns?
Don’t laugh! After the 1968 gun control law was passed it was illegal to import 5 shot bolt action army surplus rifles into the USA.
It was still LEGAL to import 5 shot bolt action rifles, off the same assembly line IF they had been issued to the police.
How’s all that gun ban and gun confiscation stuff workin’ out?
Looks like they get standard capacity magazines too. They really should be limited to 5 rounds just to keep it civil.
Blow me kangaroo away, Sport.
We have gun free schools.
They have a gun free continent.
Same solution for both — arm the citizens.
Do they get one bullet per patrolman?
Well, that would explain this:
Brisbane, Australia Cops Put Out an APB for Four Lost Training Rounds
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2017/09/robert-farago/brisbane-australia-cops-put-apb-four-lost-training-rounds/
This is not April 1 and this not a joke. I repeat: you are not reading The Onion and this is not a joke. “Police are trying to find four rounds of police training ammunition which went missing while being taken from police headquarters to firearms training at Belmont in Brisbane’s south,” couriermail.com.au reports. Again: this is an actual news story. Here’s the rest . . .
The ammunition went missing at Coorparoo on September 20 while police were travelling to Belmont to conduct firearms training about 7am.
“The training ammunition is described as being approximately 3cm in length and a bronze and copper colour (see pictured),” a police statement said.
“The training ammunition is to be treated as a dangerous item if found and members of the public are urged not pick up or handle the training ammunition.
“Police are encouraging anyone who locates the training ammunition to call Policelink on 131 444.”
A half-dozen rounds roll out of my pickup every time I open the door!
Yeah - but I bet they aren’t exploding rounds made of uranium and dipped in cyanide.
Good guys with guns? That’s not the solution to anything, just causes more violence, right Herr Hogg?
Wow. They've fallen so low so fast.
Australia is undergoing a real problem with African immigrant gangs. They break into houses and assault the owners. They need to deport these criminals and STOP importing them.
It’s happened so many times, I don’t even blink if there’s a bullet there when I reach for change.
Right. Four or five .30-30 rounds accidently clink into the church collection plate--ha!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.