Gunman murders 32 at VA Tech

Australia has gun control laws. Yes, citizens still can own firearms povided that the calibre is of a certain size. And also no semi-automatic and automatic weapons allows, meaning no AK-47, M-16, MP-5...etc. There should be no semi-auto handguns as well.

I was told by one of my Australian friend when I visited Sydney last year. The law was passed after the Port Aurther killings in Tasmania.(correct me if I was wrong)

Perhaps it is time for US government to consider reducing the amount of firearms being sold first.

No semi-auto pistol allowed??? That means we are backed to the age of cowboys

hanqiang1011 said:

Australia has gun control laws. Yes, citizens still can own firearms povided that the calibre is of a certain size. And also no semi-automatic and automatic weapons allows, meaning no AK-47, M-16, MP-5...etc. There should be no semi-auto handguns as well.

I was told by one of my Australian friend when I visited Sydney last year. The law was passed after the Port Aurther killings in Tasmania.(correct me if I was wrong)

Perhaps it is time for US government to consider reducing the amount of firearms being sold first.

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You are correct that tough (IMO) gun laws were introduced in Australia after the Port Arthur massacre when Martin Bryant murdered 35 people (mainly tourists). He was armed with a couple of assault rifles and was in a national park area where guns were not permitted so he was the only person in the tourist complex who was armed.

The gun laws allow recreational shooting including all target shooting at authorised clubs (clay target, skeet, pistol and rifle) plus hunting providing the registered shooter has permission to shoot on private farmland that is regarded as 'safe' by police. Usually this means any farm bigger than a hobby farm or forestry land. A letter giving permission is required at the time of applying for a shooting licence. My permit only gives permission to buy a 12G shotgun (other than semi auto or pump action, both of which are now prohibited firearms) and a rimfire rifle. I have a .22 magnum rifle and a DB shotgun which I use to control rabbits on a friend's vineyard. Permits for high powered rifles are available but semi auto weapons are prohibited except for property owners who can buy a semi auto rimfire rifle or a semi auto centrefire with a max magazine capacity of 5 rounds. Semi auto shotguns are prohibited which was a sore point with me because I had to surrender an old Browning that I had owned for 30 years. The laws were rushed in and the ban of some types of firearm like semi auto shotguns resulted from well meaning politicians who knew little about shooting. There was general agreement from most people with some aspects, like the ban on assault weapons (although it was a blow to me as I owned two) and the strict storage requirements (I have to keep my guns in a locked cupboard and the ammunition has to be locked away separately). Gun suicides have declined significantly though the over all suicide rate has stayed constant - people just find other ways! Firearm related homocides have declined but that decline had started before the new laws were brought in!

Interestingly it is estimated that the number of guns in Australia has not reduced but the type of firearm has. The trouble is that criminal gangs still seem to be able to get hold of pistols, etc, from the black-market.

BTW. semi auto pistols are allowed for target shooting but a strong anti gun lobby is currently using the VA Tech murders as 'evidence' that they should be banned.


Cheers

Hearing how Cho was treated make me feel sad, but it is altogether predictable.

People will ignore his words because they'll label him insane. They won't acknowledge that when you cut through all the exaggerations from his tortured mind you'll find a great deal of truth to what he says.

Sadly, we live in a society that is judgmental, discriminatory, and selfish. I imagine all Cho really wanted was someone to treat him like an equal. Not treat him like he was some reject.

I find it disgusting and insensitive that people will talk of how they were treated bad so he shouldn't care. Obviously, everyone is treated at some point for some reason, but that doesn't mean everyone is the same and should react the same way. He probably should have opened up and just not given a damn what others think, but that can be hard to do when you don't even have one person who regards you with real kindness.

Yes, it is quite unfortunate that in our society, if somebody looks, dresses, talks, or acts differently, we simply make fun of them. Just watch American Idol. A lot of people simply watch that show just so that Simon can tear apart somebody for not being able to sing properly and the sad part is that people simply find that funny. In high school, well, it's probably safe to assume that most of our members have either been past high school or are still in it right now, and can probably agree that high school can be a rough period for somebody's life especially if they don't exactly fit in. Yet we simply won't change, even with horrible incidents like these. No, a person in Cho's shoes usually won't go ahead and commit a mass murder, but being bullied to the point where they are simply ashamed of being themselves is a serious cause of side effects for one's future. All the bullying and what not pretty much ends once you hit college since people accept you for who you really are, but still, the high school bullying has effects on people. When will people learn...

Scratch said:

Strange, seeing it again and again and again. Just need to read the first words: school/university, killed and a death toll of 10+. And I absolutely know the location must be the US. And still peaople want to be able to acces guns even more easily ...

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Unless of course it happens to be a madman with an AK in Scotland, a mass murderer in Austrailia, or Shite/Sunni death squads in Iraq. The gun violence in South Africa is so bad its not even news. The chances of being violently assulted in Europe dwarf the US (who only leads in gun violence) blah blah blah.

If more honest law abiding citizens packed heat you would have a much kinder gentler society. Contray to popular myth the wild west was realtively violence free becuase every one packed a gun and guns breed civility.

Golli, the term well regulated milita when viewd with the meanings of the words as they were understood at the time, means the states militia being well drilled and trained and properly equipped, not gun laws. Every Supreme Court decsion on the 2nd has affirmed the militia (not National Guard) meanign of the 2nd and this is why non-military weapons are so easily banned (sawed off shot guns) and why even the most dangerous military firearms can still be legally purchased (M-16's, AK-74, FN's etc).

In theory, a fully armed society is a polite society. Alternatively, it's a constant Mexican standoff waiting to happen.