How Australia and Britain Tackled Gun Violence | NY Mag

[Fred Sanders]

Then they tackled the related issues, so of course many things, many laws, can be easily done if there is the will...but the way is blocked by the cowards of the NRA and their cowardly GOP puppets in Congress, the only body that can do something and coincidentally and fortuitously is in session and exists to do one thing and one thing only.....pass many laws!

Emergency national legislation passed quickly after the infamous Port Arthur mass murder with guns in Tasmania in 1996, because to not take action was deemed insane.

Australians were shocked and horrified - versus Americans who have apparently become numb and despondent in the face of the perceived impossibility of rewriting laws passed by Men by other Men.

Laws passed by Men can be, get ready for it.......changed by new laws passed by Men!

Shocking, but true!

And, more shocking news, the second amendment has nothing to with rightly being shocked and horrified by scene after scene of men, women and children being torn apart daily by one of the 300+ million guns in America staining the streets in rivers of blood.

300+ million! Enough scrap metal to build an entire new Pacific Fleet.

"The massacre shocked and horrified Australians, and in just 12 days the government proposed and passed the National Firearms Agreement and Buyback Program. The new gun laws included a ban on many types of semi-automatic, self-loading rifles and shotguns. Each gun required a separate permit with a 28-day waiting period, and Australia created a national firearms registration system. Guns could only be sold by licensed firearms dealers, and limits were placed on the amount of ammunition that could be sold. Firearm owners had to be 18, complete a safety course, and have a "genuine reason" for owning a gun, such as sport shooting, hunting, or occupational requirements ("personal protection" did not count as a legitimate reason). Licenses expired every five years, and could be revoked if police found "reliable evidence of a mental or physical condition which would render the applicant unsuitable for owning, possessing or using a firearm."

So please do not insult me by telling me or anyone else with half a brain and half a heart that nothing can be done.....defeatism and idiocy are not liberal values.

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/10/how-australia-and-britain-tackled-gun-violence.html

[GGJohn]

1. You keep pushing this meme,

but, as you've been told time and time again, neither of those countries has a 2A, and, we're not like either country.

[Duckhunter935]

2. Let him keep dreaming

[Electric Monk]

3. and you keep pushing that meme of American Exceptionalism

[GGJohn]

4. I happen to believe in American Exceptionalism,

but not in the way you're alluding to.

what's your problem with that?

[Electric Monk]

9. Liberals and conservatives often differ over the concept of American exceptionalism...

(continued...)

[Snobblevitch]

5. From where will the money come?

It is my understanding that Austrailia 'bought back' around 600,000 guns from civilians. A 'compensated confiscation' of guns in the U.S. would cost billions of dollars. I also believe compliance with a federal registry would be quite low. Canada tried that, spent a lot of money, and gave up.

[Fred Sanders]

7. Buy a few less F-35s. And high quality scrap gun metal can fetch a good price.

[Snobblevitch]

10. I don't disagree about the F-35 (does the thing actually work?).

But I don't believe an Austrailian-type gun law coild ever be passed in the U.S. nor do I think it would ever work if it was passed. It is pretty much illegal to own a pump-action shotgun in Austraila. Do you really believe such a law would work in the U.S.?

[Jim Beard]

12. We are already paying paying for gun violence

Deaths are but one cost which the breadwinner is lost and public assistance.

Lets keep in mind that the survivors cost the public a great deal. Might be cheaper to let them did, for all the bean counters.


Killed or wounded the costs are high in medical, mental and monetary stress creating loss in productively.

Unpaid hospital bills, has anyone ever figured that out?

It is going to cost so get used to it because I want increased police presence so training a massive amount of citizens protecting citizens is going to be expensive.

Naturally conservatives complain about the cost of something when they shell out the most cash to corporate welfare.

[Snobblevitch]

15. Of course the cost of gun violence is high.

Paying me to confiscate my Mossberg 500 will not reduce gun crime at all.

[Jim Beard]

6. They sound good to me.

This is the first time I have read the Australian Plan and say the Name drivers license mention. Yes, If you are a gun owner and blow a minimum alcohol, its off to the slammer until blood alcohol. I this this expanded would be very at telling law enforcement to let the dangerous person go.

I don't understand the negative remarks.

[Fred Sanders]

8. The usual negative remarks from NRA apologists I can not see.....but I expected not to see.

[oneshooter]

13. I own firearms, but I do not drink alcohol.

I do cook with it on occasion.

[Jim Beard]

11. Now I see

Thank you.

[Rex]

14. Oh you mean they used common sense? Nah, never work here in America.

We have a group of horrible people (NRA) that control Congress with fear and intimidation. Sadly, we also have just enough crappy people here to keep the NRA and other hate groups alive enough to spread fear and paranoia.

As pathetic as that is, one of them yells about 'gun grabbers' and then starts foaming at the mouth. We can't have nice things, because of a few criminally insane people that still think they live in caves like cavemen.

Advanced civilization...not in America. 80% want it, but the tiny fringe groups and gerrymandering have created domestic terrorists that get a free pass with state and federal authority.

How can you have a common sense country when authority is scared of these hate groups? You cannot even start off on the first step to sensible gun control.

[Jim Beard]

17. True.

We just need to change our approach to change. We are seeing now that money alone doesn't solve problems. Ask Rick Perry and Scott Walker. Maybe working in the border line states to get state legislators elected, eventually pressuring congress. An assault on Washington is feudal at this time.

[Rex]

18. I agree completely. I live in Texas.

The states are being run by RWing wackadoodles that are actually dangerous in that they spread conspiracy and propaganda to those well armed and maybe unstable enough to use their arsenal.

We need this generation of scared white men to die off, imo. They run the fear show.

[Jim Beard]

19. I live in Texas too.

I am ashamed of what has happened to my state or maybe its been screwy for a long time and I just didn't realize it until bush was elected governor.

[DustyJoe]

16. The first step

How Australia and Britain Tackled Gun Violence

Step 1 find an island
Step 2 Take all people coming on the islands guns
Step 3 Don't let any guns on the island
Step 4 gun free nirvana