Comment from an Aussie

[TSimonetti]

I recently joined an Australian Shooter's Forum, (www.shooting.com.au) mostly to gain some insight about how sports and shooting enthusiasts there are viewing the current battle in the USA to keep and secure our gun rights and to learn what they are currently going through after having lost most of their rights.

Its quite eye opening in several respects. A large portion of the forum members are too young to remember the time when they had the right to own most semi-auto guns and to self defense. Many others are either resigned to never regaining their rights, or are castigated by some for even bringing up the subject of fighting to get them back. Some wish they could shoot semi-autos again, while others look at the bright side of things and are happy they can shoot anything. reading it all is both sad and amazing at the same time.

I started a thread to inform the members about the latest news, ie that Harry Reid has seemingly abandoned efforts to include an assault weapons ban in the current legislative gun control proposal. Here is one response I got from an Australian patriot.

Being a member of this Aussie forum you probably have a much better idea than most Americans about how far restrictive gunlaws can go (and how blindingly fast it can all happen) if politicians with an agenda are permitted to do what they like without effective opposition from shooters and their representatives. All the things that you guys fear such as universal licencing and registration of all firearms is already the norm here, let alone things most Americans could never imagine in their wildest dreams such as self-defense/defense of property not being considered a valid genuine reason to own a firearm and the one that still kicks us in the guts 17 years on, that being the complete blanket ban on all semi-auto centrefire longarms (regardless of magazine capacity or military origins) and heavy restrictions on the ownership & use of semi-auto rimfires and pump-action/semi-auto shotguns.

You guys seem to have dodged a bullet this time (pun intended) but you'll need to stay vigilant, since the antis never give up and will always be snapping at your heels like rabid dogs, sneaking in a little restriction here and a slight tightening of the law there and before you know it you'll find yourselves in the same boat as us if you don't keep on top and slap them down at every opportunity. We shooters in Australia have begun in recent times to mobilise and become organised and politically aware in an attempt to fight back against the antis simply just to stop even more bans and restrictions taking hold, never mind getting back some of the things we lost back in '96.



We must never let it get to this here. Universal Background Checks will be the beginning of the end.

[LifeInPa]

I remind myself constantly of what has happened in Australia and England, especially since I have trailed off on writing my elected officials since the end of February. Do you have a link to this thread?

[internet troll]

The one thing we have going for us that other countries do not is that a bunch of rebels 200+ years ago had the foresight to include the right to bear arms in the law of the land.
That and the concept that Federal power is not absolute.

I am sure antis were cursing the decision back then, and still are today. The 2nd reaffirms our right to bear arms and it is incumbent upon us to ensure that their foresight is not wasted. Others have fought the battles in the past with varying degrees of success, it is now up to us to contact reps, vote in 2nd Amendment friendly reps, and do what we can to ensure our children have the same rights to battle for in the future.

[internet troll]

I recently joined an Australian Shooter's Forum, (www.shooting.com.au)

Thanks for posting the link. Here's the first story that I clicked on. Pretty much what we all fear if we were to ever lose the right to bear arms. A family was attacked by a 13 year old who had been let out on bail 6 times before attacking a man and his wife with a box cutter who were trying to protect their child. Sounds like a home invasion to me. This is what we risk if we lose our 2nd amendment rights, being at the mercy of scum. 1 thirteen year old, 10 twenty year olds, 2 thirty year olds, whatever, the family did not have a means of defense.

http://www.shooting.com.au/forum/ind...51#entry553451

this story sickens me and upsets me to my heart. This poor man probably protecting his FAMILY the best he could almost gets killed and slashed by this little 13 year old piece of shit with a box cutter. The kids of today are not like when I was 13 I am 42 now and this just sickens me. If i saw this kid on the street I would teach him a lesson he would never forget. for all those do gooders on this forum against concealed carry read this. This man and his poor wife protecting their toddler and UNBORN child against a 13 year old piece of human slime. This kid doesn't deserve to live. I am sorry but you can abuse me all you like - this is sickening. I am so angry this is just sickening. The right to self protection exceeds all else. The right to life for you and your family. If this father had a chance to defend his wife and little toddler boy and unborn child with a gun he would have - he didnt. For all those who think it was just a kid with a box gutter well I challenge you to do better. A box cutter - any knife is a dangerous firearm in the hands of a slime ball criminal kid. A handgun is the only solution. I hope this kid gets his back in jail. Infact I hope Karma sends some wroth his way. He kicked the pregnant wife. Well for all those lefty youth workers who work with these "troubled teens" trying to reform them why dont you go to the hospital and dress this mans wounds. Fuck you - fuck this kid - fuck the system.

if the government said I had the opportunity to hand in all my sporting pistols and rifles (and I LOVE pistol shooting competitions and hunting and target shooting with my rifles) and swap it for a self protection handgun I would do so. We are not the Australia I grew up in the 1970's as a kid. These teenage criminal slime balls respect nothing. This kid was pampered by the system. Well I hope he rots in hell for attacking this family.

I was a victim of crime myself and I was the one who was charged with firearm offences. We need concealed carry or AT LEAST THE ABILITY TO HAVE A GUN IN THE HOME FOR PROTECTION. This kid entered the home and did this to the family. A home invasion. I got to tell you I am 92kg and 22 years army and I would be shit scared from a person with a box cutter and I challenge any man on this forum not to be. If this 13 year poor old excuse for a human being entered my home he would have been going out in a coffin and I would gladly do the jail time for protecting my family. Anyone dissagress with me and you either dont have a family or you would rather die yourself than end up in jail. it is wrong that if we shoot him we end up in jail - it is simply bloody wrong. I have read and posted on concealed carry on this forum about this and I am so angry now I am going to write a letter to my district DPP. Why was this kid - sorry he doesnt deserve the title of human being. Why was this kid not in jail. I am so upset about the laws in this country. Where have we gone wrong that this is happening. This is 2 in 2 months in my area home invasions resulting in serious injuries.

This happened close to my home in melbourne's west. I am getting a hand written petition together not these usless internet things. Anyone who wants to submit with me a letter of protest to the local member please inbox me.

http://www.heraldsun...x-1226546322187

[LifeInPa]

The link you posted is dead Internet, you made excellent points however.

BTW, I found the thread the OP started: http://www.shooting.com.au/forum/ind...lt-weapon-ban/

[Emptymag]

A former coworker was seeing a guy from Australia.
He said that many people have hardened doors on the interior of the home.
His parents had steel doors with deadbolts for bedroom doors.

Their version of "self defense".

[wanneroo]

A former coworker was seeing a guy from Australia.
He said that many people have hardened doors on the interior of the home.
His parents had steel doors with deadbolts for bedroom doors.

Their version of "self defense".

Probably in some tough areas of Melbourne and Sydney, that might be the case. I've not seen it myself in regards to interior doors like that, but in many neighborhoods steel security doors on the front and back doors are common.

One thing anyone will notice if they travel around Australia is the lack of police presence, especially in rural areas. Here in the USA, even in unpopulated locales it's not uncommon to see police, in Australia, there they are thin on the ground and you are on your own.

Most of the population of the country lives in 6-7 main urban areas. Even 2 hours from the cities, you can be in the back of beyond and hikers disappear in bushland all the time, never to be heard from again.

I love Australia but it's firearms laws are over the top and a great example of the emotion politicians play on to past restrictive laws. Port Arthur was a horrific nightmare but they way overreacted.

Gun control has proven useless, as now criminal gangs mail guns right to Australia as only 10% of the mail is checked now.

New Zealand while not perfect, is better. Their laws focus on the owner not the guns. Once you have the right endorsement on your firearms licence you can easily own short barreled rifles, suppressors and all sorts of semi auto firearms and even have them sent in the mail to you.

[ungawa]

The one thing we have going for us that other countries do not is that a bunch of rebels 200+ years ago had the foresight to include the right to bear arms in the law of the land.
That and the concept that Federal power is not absolute.

Both of which have been completely thrown out the window.

We have no legal protections from the government, it's all up to us to stop them.

[internet troll]

Both of which have been completely thrown out the window.

We have no legal protections from the government, it's all up to us to stop them.

Yes and no. Our rights are under constant assault. However, I don't think we would be having the conversations that we have today if we did not have the 2nd. It would have been game over for gun rights years ago. The 2nd has always given us in the U.S something to rally around and to an extent, unite us. It's something tangible that gives us a leg to stand on when ever the government attacks our gun rights. That is something England, Australia and so many other countries do not have. It is why we are still able to fight for our rights while the battle is over in so many other countries.

How does the old saying go? Something like The Constitution reaffirms our rights, now it up to us to keep them.

[ungawa]

Yes and no.

Then where is the "no" part? You didn't dispute anything I said.

Other than that, I completely agree with you.