Posted on Oct 23, 2016
Strict gun laws ended mass shootings in Australia
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Australia had 18 mass shootings before 1996. In 1996 Australia saw the the worst mass shooting in the world (at that time: it is now number 3 after Norway 2011 and Orlando.) A deranged man called Martin Bryant, with his legally purchased arsenal of AR-15's, SLR's, handguns, etc, all legal in Australia at the time, killed 35 innocent people.
In the aftermath of this tragedy, Australia set up a licensing system for firearms. All hunters and sport shooters could get an air-rifle, 22 caliber bolt action rifle, or paintball gun with a simple Class A license. A class B license, which required a valid license as for why a Class A license was insufficient, could get you a shotgun or a centerfire bolt action rifle. A Handgun license was available for sport shooters and hunters as well, but it required VERY strict processing. All other firearms were banned or restricted to the point that they might as well be banned, a a mandatory buyback of existing firearms was enacted. Gun crime fell dramatically, and has fallen dramatically ever since.
The ownership of firearms for "self defense" is not a valid reason. And you know what? Australia is even more sparsely populated than the USA, with even more areas where the police are hours away. Canada also has many hunters and farmers who need firearms in order to get food, or defend their livestock. But all of these people have survived very well with Australia's new gun laws. Why are american hunters or farmers, or people living in rural areas any different? Australia also had a strong gun culture before 1996, and firearm ownership is still higher than average for the world to this day. But their gun culture adapted to the necessity of common sense gun laws and gun control.
There have been ZERO mass shootings in Australia ever since. ZERO. ZILCH. NADA. Yes, there was a terrorist attack in Sydney in 2014. Yes, 2 people were shot. But that is far less than are shot in a single day here in the United States. By any standard, the gun ban in Australia has succeeded in reducing both murders and suicides with guns. And the crime rate in Australia as a whole, including non-gun crimes, has also fallen.
Meanwhile, U.S gun laws are a national disgrace. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/05/opinion/end-the-gun-epidemic-in-america.html?_r=0 . 30,000 people die each year from guns. If we had the same gun death rate as Australia, that number would be around 3450: a TENTH as many. http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/compareyears/10/total_number_of_gun_deaths
Personally, I would like to see firearms laws similar to Australia's passed here in the USA. Like I said before, Australia also had a strong gun culture before 1996. Australia also has wide open areas, lots and lots of hunters, dangerous animals in the outback, and many rural areas far away from police intervention. (So does Canada, for that matter.) But their gun laws are far more sensible, far more safe, than ours, and their gun death rates are far lower. Why can't we be the same way?
In the aftermath of this tragedy, Australia set up a licensing system for firearms. All hunters and sport shooters could get an air-rifle, 22 caliber bolt action rifle, or paintball gun with a simple Class A license. A class B license, which required a valid license as for why a Class A license was insufficient, could get you a shotgun or a centerfire bolt action rifle. A Handgun license was available for sport shooters and hunters as well, but it required VERY strict processing. All other firearms were banned or restricted to the point that they might as well be banned, a a mandatory buyback of existing firearms was enacted. Gun crime fell dramatically, and has fallen dramatically ever since.
The ownership of firearms for "self defense" is not a valid reason. And you know what? Australia is even more sparsely populated than the USA, with even more areas where the police are hours away. Canada also has many hunters and farmers who need firearms in order to get food, or defend their livestock. But all of these people have survived very well with Australia's new gun laws. Why are american hunters or farmers, or people living in rural areas any different? Australia also had a strong gun culture before 1996, and firearm ownership is still higher than average for the world to this day. But their gun culture adapted to the necessity of common sense gun laws and gun control.
There have been ZERO mass shootings in Australia ever since. ZERO. ZILCH. NADA. Yes, there was a terrorist attack in Sydney in 2014. Yes, 2 people were shot. But that is far less than are shot in a single day here in the United States. By any standard, the gun ban in Australia has succeeded in reducing both murders and suicides with guns. And the crime rate in Australia as a whole, including non-gun crimes, has also fallen.
Meanwhile, U.S gun laws are a national disgrace. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/05/opinion/end-the-gun-epidemic-in-america.html?_r=0 . 30,000 people die each year from guns. If we had the same gun death rate as Australia, that number would be around 3450: a TENTH as many. http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/compareyears/10/total_number_of_gun_deaths
Personally, I would like to see firearms laws similar to Australia's passed here in the USA. Like I said before, Australia also had a strong gun culture before 1996. Australia also has wide open areas, lots and lots of hunters, dangerous animals in the outback, and many rural areas far away from police intervention. (So does Canada, for that matter.) But their gun laws are far more sensible, far more safe, than ours, and their gun death rates are far lower. Why can't we be the same way?
Strict gun laws ended mass shootings in Australia
Posted from sciencenewsforstudents.org
Gun Control
Australia
NRA
Election 2016
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 31
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I prefer the 200-year-old US Constitution over any type of government on any day.
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CWO3 (Join to see)
Well said SPC Harsh. Regarding the topic's article "food fight" in support of both arguments and all the stats I share Mark Twain. He stated this and attributed it to Disraeli but it was originally voiced in 1895 in an article by Leonard H. Courtney:
"Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
- Mark Twain's Own Autobiography: The Chapters from the North American Review
Meaning being that one can use context and other techniques to support any argument with whatever information is available, and it may not always give the truest conclusion. Bottom line for me is that all the arguments about framer's intent of right to bear arms, militia, current weapons vs. technology at the time and the rest just don't suffice. For me the ability to own weapons makes me sleep better at night given our political climate and division as a Nation. We can easily say "it won't happen here" but if all my freedoms as I know them are in jeopardy I prefer to be armed to at least fight for them if that should occur. It might be a losing battle but I'd prefer to go out on my feet than on my knees. Best Wishes to all.
"Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
- Mark Twain's Own Autobiography: The Chapters from the North American Review
Meaning being that one can use context and other techniques to support any argument with whatever information is available, and it may not always give the truest conclusion. Bottom line for me is that all the arguments about framer's intent of right to bear arms, militia, current weapons vs. technology at the time and the rest just don't suffice. For me the ability to own weapons makes me sleep better at night given our political climate and division as a Nation. We can easily say "it won't happen here" but if all my freedoms as I know them are in jeopardy I prefer to be armed to at least fight for them if that should occur. It might be a losing battle but I'd prefer to go out on my feet than on my knees. Best Wishes to all.
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If you lookin at the bottom of this list for the newer massacres, you will find mass murder by arson, blunt instrument, knife, AND guns. Illegalizing guns does not change people, only the means of their actions.
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LTC Stephen Conway
I agree as in Canada we had a we had a double homicide by crossbow we've also had lots of stabbings and you will see in front of skanky bars no knives. Anybody so they'll use whatever means necessary druggies whatever and we have extra strict gun laws and criminals have AK-47 AR-15 magazines and all kinds of firearms so it doesn't stop them here in Alberta Canada Australia is lucky or they're not telling you the full story.
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PFC Jim Wheeler
LTC Stephen Conway - Australia also has the benefit of being an island without any neighboring countries. We could ban firearms here, but just like drugs, they could always just come across the border.
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CW3 Harvey K.
PFC Harry Leuchen - Then there was that guy in Nice, FR. He killed 80 with a truck, easy as pie.
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Umm... the Sydney Siege in 2014... There were also the Logan shootings, and the Hunt family shootings in the same year.
Check your sources.
Check your sources.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
SSG Jessica Bautista - He doesn't know what he is talking about. He is repeating talking points on a subject he doesn't understand. I was a gun dealer for several years. This is a subject I am VERY familiar with. He is attempting to inflate numbers to make a problem appear larger than it is. He is also comparing dissimilar items. I could go through the thread and highlight at least 3 and probably 5 of the logical fallacies he's committed here.
I have no problem debating him on this issue. But he really does need to educate himself on the issue first.
I have no problem debating him on this issue. But he really does need to educate himself on the issue first.
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CW3 Harvey K.
So, do guns CAUSE suicide??? In reality, no more than "guns cause violent crime".
The USA, # 1 in gun ownership, is in 50th place worldwide, tied with Uruguay at 12.1 suicides per 100,000. That is far behind "gun free" South Korea with the second highest suicide rate in the world ----- 28.9 / 100,000, even though South Korea is 148th in the world in gun ownership with 1.1 guns per 100 people.
If you prefer to look at a European Culture for comparison, it is interesting to note that while Lithuania has the lowest rate of gun ownership in Europe, 0.7 per 100 people, (a little more than 1/2 the rate of South Korea) it still manages to somehow attain the 4th highest suicide rate in the entire world, 28.2 per 100,000.
The top rate is 44.2 in #1 Guyana, where there apparently aren't enough guns to go around, so the dominate suicide method is poison by insecticide.
The USA, # 1 in gun ownership, is in 50th place worldwide, tied with Uruguay at 12.1 suicides per 100,000. That is far behind "gun free" South Korea with the second highest suicide rate in the world ----- 28.9 / 100,000, even though South Korea is 148th in the world in gun ownership with 1.1 guns per 100 people.
If you prefer to look at a European Culture for comparison, it is interesting to note that while Lithuania has the lowest rate of gun ownership in Europe, 0.7 per 100 people, (a little more than 1/2 the rate of South Korea) it still manages to somehow attain the 4th highest suicide rate in the entire world, 28.2 per 100,000.
The top rate is 44.2 in #1 Guyana, where there apparently aren't enough guns to go around, so the dominate suicide method is poison by insecticide.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
CW3 Harvey K. - He doesn't have an answer for that. Because as I mentioned to him, Suicide is a Mental Health issue. Although firearms "might" (and I am cautious to even grant that) exacerbate the specific issue, they are in no way a cause of it. That is why we must segregate homicide (12k/year) from total "firearm related deaths" (inflated statistics).
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