When Australians gave back their guns

[Robb]

When shootings occur in the United States, we Australians shake our heads. We do not have a Bill of Rights or a constitutional right to bear arms; here, the idea of ordinary citizens demanding to own guns without cause seems odd. So when one of our own is senselessly taken by boys who police said just wanted to be “Billy Bob Badasses,” it is aspecial affront.

It’s not necessarily a logical one: Lane was shot with a small-caliber handgun. Plenty of handguns are still legally held in Australia. About a million guns have been imported since the buyback, bringing private gun ownership here back to roughly 1996 levels.

But the real issue is availability.

Here, those who are licensed to own pistols are not allowed to carry their guns. There are strict, police-supervised checks of storage and security of the firearms, and buyers must prove a “genuine reason” to own a gun.

(snip)

People still get killed in Australia in random crimes. But you cannot blame us for wondering why, when one of our own — a talented, determined young man — is mindlessly shot dead in America one sunny day, more cannot be done to stop futile, horrendous moments like these.

Read More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/when-australians-gave-back-their-guns/2013/08/23/108458dc-0c09-11e3-8974-f97ab3b3c677_story.html

[Violet_Crumble]

1. 12 days...

That's how long it took after the Port Arthur massacre for all state and territory governments to agree with the commonwealth governments plan for a gun buy back scheme and the introduction of strict gun control. If only the same thing had happened in the US after Sandy Hook.