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Australia 'won't go down gun path'
news.com.au ^

Posted on 10/29/2002 9:03:00 AM PST by chance33_98


Australia 'won't go down gun path'
October 29, 2002

AUSTRALIA would not follow the lead of the United States where everyone had the right to own a gun, Prime Minister John Howard has said.

Most Australians hated guns, Mr Howard said.

He promised to do everything in his power to rid the nation of handguns, except for legitimate sporting shooters, security, the military and police.

Mr Howard was responding to a a Newspoll survey which found 83 per cent of people supported moves to invoke stricter laws controlling handguns.

Only 12 per cent of those surveyed were against tougher controls on handguns. Five per cent were uncommitted.

"I don't need a poll to tell me that Australians hate guns in the main," Mr Howard told reporters in Mexico City.

"We're prepared to have exceptions for legitimate sporting shooting pursuits, and the sporting shooters of Australia are generally very responsible people but, apart from that, people see no reason why the ordinary citizen should carry a gun and neither do I.

"I feel very strongly about this.

"And I've watched the way America has gone and we have an opportunity at least to try and not go down that path."

He said he would do everything he could to ensure Australia didn't follow the lead of the US.

"I mean I may fail but I make no apologies because I feel very strongly about it, and I think people all over the country do," Mr Howard said.

"You only have to look at the availability of guns in the US and it was never tackled years ago in that country, and now it's too late and there are consequences."


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aussielist; banglist
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To: freeeee

But is Australia any safer? Homicides have increase 3.2%, assaults have jumped 8.6%, and burglaries have skyrocketed to 44%."

Thanks for those Stats.It's amazing how difficult it is for this P.M. to deal with facts such as these.

21 posted on 10/29/2002 10:37:14 AM PST by Pagey
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To: Pagey
It's amazing how difficult it is for this P.M. to deal with facts such as these.

Let's apply some logic.

The PM says he wants less crime. Yet he takes actions known to cause more crime. One must therefore conclude that either the PM is grossly incompetent, or he has an unstated, ulterior motive.

I believe the latter is the case.

22 posted on 10/29/2002 10:46:08 AM PST by freeeee
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To: blondekates
"Just recently, the violent crime levels in England have risen during the past year by more than 15%. These results represent a continuation of crime problems in England that have been encountered since their gun bans took affect in the mid 1990s. The home invasion, burglary, robbery, and a wide range of other crime rates in England now exceed that of the U.S. Only murder and rape remain higher in the U.S., with the difference now being relatively minor and the gap is steadily closing. Even staunchly anti-gun journalist Dan Rather of CBS called England "one the most violent urban societies in the Western world." As many people are aware, England has long been an example cited by gun control supporters as having good gun control laws and a role model for the U.S."
---Jeremy D. Blanks, Ph.D.

You can also read more here.

23 posted on 10/29/2002 10:59:55 AM PST by robertpaulsen
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To: 2banana
It is much better to follow the lead of Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, China, Pol Pot's Cambodia, North Korea, sad etc.

From the viewpoint of the politicians and bureaucrats in charge is is much better to follow the lead of Nazi Germany etc. The politicians and bureaucrats have it really good in places like that

24 posted on 10/29/2002 11:02:22 AM PST by from occupied ga
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To: Maceman
, how come I can't get one unless I can convince my local police chief that I have a "compelling need" for one?

Because you live in the disgusting communist hellhole of the Peoples' Democracy of Massachussetts Taxachussetts.

Move.

25 posted on 10/29/2002 11:04:48 AM PST by from occupied ga
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To: chance33_98
AUSTRALIA would not follow the lead of the United States where everyone had the right to own a gun, Prime Minister John Howard has said.

Then Australia as a nation will die.

26 posted on 10/29/2002 11:08:12 AM PST by Centurion2000
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To: Pagey
Thanks for those Stats.It's amazing how difficult it is for this P.M. to deal with facts such as these.

Facts don't mean anything to gun control advocates. If gun control were based on fact, then there wouldn't be any. Gun control is more like a doxology to bureaucrats and other statists. The don't question it any more than a rabid Islamic terrorist questions Islam. In fact they have a lot in common with said terrorist in wanting so see American citizens lose their freedom and their lives.

27 posted on 10/29/2002 11:10:46 AM PST by from occupied ga
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To: chance33_98
MOLON LABE, jackass!


28 posted on 10/29/2002 11:16:47 AM PST by rockfish59
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To: chance33_98
"And I've watched the way America has gone and we have an opportunity at least to try and not go down that path."

They should, instead, follow England down the path of public disarmament. They should try to take the title away from the Mother Country for the Industrialized World's strictist gun control laws. They should ban all civilian firearms.

(OK... OK... I know what you're thinking. You're wondering why Red, of all people, would be advocating a total gun ban for Australia. It's quite simple. I need another data point for my experiment. Pointing to the UK's skyrocketing violent crime rate is already a good argument against more gun control here. If, however, the results could be duplicated a world away, then the argument would be even stronger. Better still would be if the attempt to disarm the People resulted in Mad-Max-come-to-life violence and anarchy; what I believe would be the likely result of an aggressive disarmament campaign here. Of course, this means some amount of sacrifice from the average, law-abiding Aussie, but it's for a good cause. And as I'm fond of saying: Better them than us.)

29 posted on 10/29/2002 11:29:09 AM PST by Redcloak
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To: chance33_98
Australia 'won't go down gun path'

Instead, she's going down the victim path. Crime has increased since the last Aussie gun grab, so the answer of course, is to get rid of more guns, thus providing more unarmed victims for the criminals. Perfect sense.

My husband's always wanted to visit Australia. I think we'll just enjoy it from afar.

30 posted on 10/29/2002 11:40:25 AM PST by FourPeas
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To: chance33_98
AUSTRALIA would not follow the lead of the United States where everyone had the right to own a gun

Neither did Germany, the Soviet Union, China, Cambodia, and various and sundry African Edens at various points in the last 100 years, and such utopias they turned out to be.

31 posted on 10/29/2002 12:18:54 PM PST by RogueIsland
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To: chance33_98
Australia does not have a Constitution with a Bill of Rights; specifically the Second Amendment, which guarantees citizens of this nation the right to keep and bear arms.
32 posted on 10/29/2002 1:10:56 PM PST by boris
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To: chance33_98
Goodbye, Australia, it nice knowing you.

33 posted on 10/29/2002 1:12:33 PM PST by MoGalahad
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To: chance33_98
these changes wont make any difference to any gun owners here.99% of handgun owners already are sporting shooters coz its the only way to get a semi-auto handgun in the first place.and it doesnt effect rifles.

im actually relieved because there was talk that there was going to be a ban on handguns full stop.

nothing howard is saying is going to really effect gun ownership here,and we're thankfully not as bad as enlgand YET.

34 posted on 10/29/2002 4:23:32 PM PST by libertarian_au
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To: chance33_98
these changes wont make any difference to any gun owners here.99% of handgun owners already are sporting shooters coz its the only way to get a semi-auto handgun in the first place.and it doesnt effect rifles.

im actually relieved because there was talk that there was going to be a ban on handguns full stop.

nothing howard is saying is going to really effect gun ownership here,and we're thankfully not as bad as england YET.

35 posted on 10/29/2002 4:23:49 PM PST by libertarian_au
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To: chance33_98
"I mean I may fail but I make no apologies because I feel very strongly about it, and I think people all over the country do," Mr Howard said".
36 posted on 10/29/2002 4:48:02 PM PST by semaj
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To: TomGuy
It will be interesting to see how Australia reacts as Islamics take over the Northern Territory and make it their own.


You can bet the Islames will be bringing their own guns.
37 posted on 10/29/2002 4:53:34 PM PST by philetus
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Comment #38 Removed by Moderator

To: chance33_98
Most Australians hated guns, Mr. Howard said.

Most Australians hate Mr. Howard. Perhaps he'll go the way of PM Harold Holt.

-archy-/-

39 posted on 11/02/2002 9:50:57 AM PST by archy
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