Australians Turn in 57,000 Guns in Landmark National Amnesty
Source: BBC
In 1996, a man walked into a tourist resort in Tasmania, Australia, and shot 35 people dead, wounding 23 others. Known as the Port Arthur Massacre, it was the deadliest mass shooting in Australian history and forever changed the countrys relationship with guns, leading to laws that heavily restricted their purchase and ownership. On Thursday, Australian authorities announced that 57,000 firearms were turned in last year during the countrys first guns amnesty since the 1996 massacre, which allowed people to hand in illegal, unregistered firearms without fear of prosecution. The guns were then either destroyed or properly registered. Taking these unregistered firearms off the streets means they will not fall into the hands of criminals, who might use them to endanger the lives of innocent Australians, said Law Enforcement Minister Angus Taylor. Among the returned firearms were 2,500 automatic weapons, 2,900 handguns, and one rocket launcher.
READ IT AT BBC NEWS
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Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/australia-turns-in-57000-guns-in-landmark-national-amnesty?ref=home
7962
(11,841 posts)brush
(53,776 posts)incidentfour people were killedsince the amnesty in Australia.
7962
(11,841 posts)As in psychotropic type prescription drugs. I'm really seeing such a culture difference between populations of people that we in the US have very much in common with.
Thyla
(791 posts)I'd like to see the stats too, I'm sure they exist somewhere and I reckon they will confirm your train of thought here. Throw in opioides to the mix too.
I know big pharma doesn't have it's claws in place properly yet in Oz and the EU and thank dog for that.
brush
(53,776 posts)our easy access of weapons that should only be battlefields.
IronLionZion
(45,433 posts)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_in_Australia
I could make a liberal argument that guns aren't even the problem, our weak gun regulations are the problem. As in we need better regulations without NRA interference. The Australian laws include some very important provisions that the NRA has blocked here in the US.
Australians don't have the paranoid belief that they need to defend themselves from their own government, for example. Or the delusional fantasy that an average Joe is going to shoot a mass shooter or terrorist to save the day.
7962
(11,841 posts)So there was some merit to defending yourself against a tyrannical government. But today, I dont care WHAT you have, if the govt WANTS you, they're going to get you. Or a drone will. Even the smallest military group is better armed than the local group of IDPA shooters
volstork
(5,400 posts)groundloop
(11,518 posts)IronLionZion
(45,433 posts)Orsino
(37,428 posts)ffr
(22,669 posts)Who doesn't want to own one of these? No gunpowder even. Just need to carry around a powerplant in my backpack.
Thyla
(791 posts)lol
inwiththenew
(972 posts)I say that not to say it can't be done but more as an "LOL" for this country.
In January there were 2,030,530 NICS background checks for 31 days which works out to 65,500/day. LOL.
[link:https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/nics_firearm_checks_-_month_year.pdf/view|