Gun Control Question

[seldear]

As I understand it, Australia has relatively strict gun control laws. I'm not sure exactly what those laws are, never having required the use of a firearm. (Any of the Aussies know?)

US Constitution's Second Amendment? Gun registration?

And where do you stand on the matter of "the right to bear arms" and why? Would love to hear from all sides of the fence and the pond.

Comments

[skydiver119.livejournal.com]

I"m all for folks needing training to handle weapons. To me it's common sense, like taking drivers ed to drive a car.

But the problem here isn't the law abiding citizens that register and get their guns legally. For the most part, those folks are safe (random hunting accidents aside)

A good chunk of our crimes are committed by folks with illegal weapons. Stolen gun, illegally imported guns. automatic weapons that no one but the military is supposed to have. And how in the hell can we control that? We can't even keep the frakking illegals from spilling across the border by the thousands. We can't keep the tons of heroin and cocaine from coming in. We can't even keep pirated dvd's and cd's off the streets.

The thing is, unless we turn this country into an armed and locked down dictatorship with closed borders, there's no way to control it.

It's easier to control a border when you're an island. :)

We americans want our freedoms. We want our first amendment. We want to talk and im and e-mail without big brother spying on us (any more htan they already do)...and the price we pay for htat freedom....for the abilty to jump in the car and drive to another state without getting permission from the govt and a permit...is to know that 'bad guys' will take advantage of that freedom to be bad guys.

and every time we let fear push us into surrendering more of our rights, we take one step closer to becoming one of those societies that were the oh so nasty future in so many old movies. Cause every time we beg the govt to 'protect' us we put our fates in the hands of fellow humans...who are imminantly corruptable and completely untrustworthy.

All the gun control in the world won't get illegal weapons off the streets. and the issue is so pervasive that unless we start executing eveyr single criminal without a trial, illegal weapons along with illegal drugs will be a part of life.

The way things are going, those few rights guaranteed in the bill of rights are gonna be the only civil liberties we're gonna have left...those of us that don't run off to canada :)

[allisnow.livejournal.com]

It's easier to control a border when you're an island. :)

AHA! You've just solved the border control issue!

Forget a wall... start digging a moat!

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

*snorts*

Actually, a moat makes things harder. Because people can land at all kinds of points and nobody's the wiser. On solid ground, you can put up a fence. What do you do on the ocean?

And Australia might be an island, but we've got all kinds of trouble with illegal immigrants at the moment. I hear that, due to a new agreement between our governments, you'll be getting our Asians and Middle Easterners, and we'll be getting your Cubans and Mexicans.

Joy.

[skydiver119.livejournal.com]

that's another reason it'll never be controlled. Even if we build a moat and a fence, we have THOUSANDS of miles of coast. More than we could ever patrol

'where there's a will, there's a way' and where there's a profit, folks will find a way

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

Or where there's desperation and need, folks will find a way.