Tornado Alley (PROG)

[fuagf]

Absolutely right. John Howard's stance on guns took guts.

arizona, i think in light of this sort of American pro-gun hype,

Australia’s 1996 Gun Confiscation Didn’t Work – And it Wouldn’t Work in America
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/425021/australia-gun-control-obama-america

which is typical of NRA supporter positions, it is helpful to know how Australian gun regulation stood BEFORE Howard's buy-back.

So here is a bit of history. Gun laws in Australia .. i'll leave link notices in this one ..

Federation and the rise of regulation in the 20th century

Gun laws were the responsibility of each colony and, since Federation in 1901, of each state. The Commonwealth does not have constitutional authority over firearms, but it controls customs and defence matters, and the external affairs power can be used to enforce internal control over matters agreed in external treaties.

During the 1920s Australia, Canada and Great Britain became concerned about the rise of communism after the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, and imposed restrictions on handguns.[10] The murders of three policemen in Western Australia and the rise of organised crime in Sydney and Melbourne, with a number of lurid underworld murders were also a factor.[11] These restrictions have increased over the succeeding decades. In New South Wales, handguns were effectively banned after World War II but the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games sparked a new interest in the sport of pistol shooting and laws were changed to allow the sport to develop.

Rifles and shotguns were less restricted than handguns. State gun laws varied widely. Western Australia and the Northern Territory had severe restrictions even on sporting rifles and shotguns, but in Queensland and Tasmania they could be bought without restrictions.

Fully automatic arms were banned on the Australian mainland from the 1930s, but remained legal in Tasmania until 1996.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Cold War concerns about ex-military rifles falling into the hands of communist radicals led New South Wales to place restrictions on the legal ownership of rifles of a military calibre (see: .303/25) while members of rifle clubs and military rifle clubs could own ex-military rifles. In the 1970s these restrictions were relaxed in New South Wales and military style rifles (both bolt-action and semi-automatic) once again became widely available, except in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

By the beginning of the 1980s, the relative popularity of shooting and the prevalence of firearms in the community began to fall as social attitudes changed and urbanisation increased. The rise of new values including feminism, environmental awareness and media reports of American gun violence created an awareness of gun control as a potential issue. The 1981 publication of Richard Harding's book "Firearms and Violence in Australian Life"[12] and conferences in several cities involved academics, criminologists, police representatives and gun control activists. As in other countries, public concern over violence and its possible links to media violence also gave rise to a general increase in support for gun control and increased media involvement in the issue. Gun control activism in Australia became organised with the formation in 1981 of the "Committee to Control Gun Misuse" in Victoria, later to become Gun Control Australia.

1984–1996 multiple killings

From 1984 to 1996, multiple killings aroused public concern. The 1984 Milperra massacre was a major incident in a series of conflicts between various 'outlaw motorcycle gangs'. In 1987, the Hoddle Street massacre and the Queen Street massacre took place in Melbourne. In response, several states required the registration of all guns, and restricted the availability of self-loading rifles and shotguns. In the Strathfield massacre in New South Wales, 1991, two were killed with a knife, and five more with a firearm. Tasmania passed a law in 1991 for firearm purchasers to obtain a licence, though enforcement was light. Firearm laws in Tasmania and Queensland remained relatively relaxed for longarms.

Shooting massacres in Australia and other English-speaking countries often occurred close together in time. Forensic psychiatrists attribute this to copycat behaviour,[13][14] which is in many cases triggered by sensational media treatment.[15][16] Mass murderers study media reports and imitate the actions and equipment that are sensationalised in them.[17]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_in_Australia#Federation_and_the_rise_of_regulation_in_the_20th_century

There is of course .. Contention over effects of the laws .. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_in_Australia#Contention_over_effects_of_the_laws .. since the
Port Arthur massacre in 1996 .. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_in_Australia#Port_Arthur_massacre_and_its_consequences .. and Howard's buy-back.

And yes .. "The National Agreement on Firearms did reduce the deaths by firearms in Australia, however some note that the overall murder rate did not drop."

Bottom line is that overall social attitudes about gun culture changed .. AND ..

After a 1996 Mass Shooting, Australia Enacted Strict Gun Laws. It Hasn’t Had a Similar Massacre Since.

By Will Oremus
Oct. 1 2015 9:38 PM


Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard lays a wreath at the memorial site of the Port Arthur massacre on its 10th anniversary. The mass killing spurred
Howard's government to pass sweeping gun control laws.

In every country environment - availability and attitude included - is a crucial factor in the rate of gun deaths.

I truly believe that one day American gun laws will evolve at least to Peg's position stated here.

-Background checks for EVERY gun purchase, including at gun shows
-Ban selling assault weapons
-Ban selling high-capacity magazines
-Stop blaming mass killings only on the mentally ill - every country has mentally people but only in the U.S.A. are guns so readily available.
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