Gun laws in USA??

[HAL]

I can't imagine if after Port Arthur rather than arranging the gun buy-back the government opened the floodgates to gun purchasing allowed them to be sold in supermarkets permitted concealed carry in pubs and encouraged everyone to have their own personal machine gun in their house

[stui magpie]

Imagine if, after Port Arthur, rather than arranging the gun buy-back, the government had instead opened the floodgates to gun purchasing, allowed them to be sold in supermarkets, permitted concealed carry in pubs and encouraged everyone to have their own personal machine gun in their house. We really missed an opportunity to keep ourselves safe there.

There was a lot more to it that a gun buy back, Gun laws are state based, Howard had to get all the states to agree to having a uniform law, national registration and the banning of certain weapons, which then led to the buy back.

Unless every state signs up, the system doesn't work.

I can't see any president being able to get all 50 states to agree to similar laws, just won't happen.

[Jezza]

There's something fundamentally wrong in the USA, whether it's due to a culture that glorifies guns or whether it's poor mental health screening or whether it's a multitude of factors, which is leading to a high number of mass shootings.

In relation to Australia, gun related deaths were declining before the Port Arthur massacre happened, as the ABS stats from 1980 to 1995 demonstrate, so I think the impact of gun control measures under Howard is somewhat overstated.

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf ... enDocument

[stui magpie]

Stats only tell part of the story.

In the lead up to Port Arthur we had both Queen St and hoddle St which got national attention. There were also a few mass shootings, labelled "spree" shootings in NSW in the late 80's early 90's. When Port Arthur occurred, the scale was OTT and demanded action.

fact is, there hasn't been a mass shooting of scale since the laws were changed

[Mugwump]

[Skids]

It would be like trying to take all cigarette lighters off the street... impossible!

People can use a 3D printer to make a gun.

There's more people, there's more **** heads.... the situation only has one way to go.

Sad... but true.

[HAL]

No I am as happy as ever.

[Jezza]

Stats only tell part of the story.

In the lead up to Port Arthur we had both Queen St and hoddle St which got national attention. There were also a few mass shootings, labelled "spree" shootings in NSW in the late 80's early 90's. When Port Arthur occurred, the scale was OTT and demanded action.

fact is, there hasn't been a mass shooting of scale since the laws were changed

Good point, Stui.

In a way, it's a miracle we haven't had what is defined as a "mass shooting" since Port Arthur, but there have been close calls, most notably the Monash University shooting in 2002 which killed 2 and injured 5 people and the Lindt Cafe siege in 2014.

I just wonder to what extent (if it can be measured at all) that gun control has had on the lack of mass shootings in Australia, as gun-related deaths were already declining before the events of Port Arthur, but you are right to say that mass shootings haven't occurred since 1996 which is a great outcome.

The ABC published an interesting article in 2016 with regard to the extent of gun ownership after Port Arthur.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-28/a ... ur/7365790

[Jezza]

[Culprit]

"Just seven weeks into 2018, there have been eight shootings at US schools that have resulted in injury or death. Congress has refused to tighten restrictions on gun ownership, even after 20 children and six educators were massacred in 2012 in Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut". If the USA people refused to something after the Sandy Hook Massacre, they never will.

Claims that teachers should be armed. Shooting at a still target that's not firing an automatic weapon back at you is very easy. Takes a lot of training to shoot at something that is shooting at you and if they have an automatic weapon it's a lot fckn harder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... M0cgJaqt80 A great speech that will fall on deaf ears.

[K]

Aren't those bullet-proof whiteboards they're selling just the best teaching tools ever?

[David]

Did they have AK-15s in public shops in 1920?

[Jezza]

Did they have AK-15s in public shops in 1920?

You mean an AR-15?

They didn't exist in the 1920s.

[K]

Did they have AK-15s in public shops in 1920?

You mean an AR-15?
They didn't exist in the 1920s.

Neither did the bullet-proof whiteboards.

[David]

Did they have AK-15s in public shops in 1920?

You mean an AR-15?

They didn't exist in the 1920s.

a) possibly, yes; b) my point precisely.

That such a weapon (and its various cousins) was ever approved for public usage is surely one of the greatest scandals in US domestic policy history.