Sorry to everyone else for posting something so large, but this guy's attitude really gets on my nerves.
bl4ckh4wk64 said:
Bobbity said:
Nope. We Aussies have outlawed guns because we've got this crazy idea that they're 'dangerous' and that 'accidents happen' and that 'people get hurt.' Crazy, innit?
It's not as if there are stories of tragic deaths and violent shootouts coming from the states every five minutes.
http://www.geoffmetcalf.com/aus.html
A whole lot of good that's done for you.
I spoke to someone else a bit later, and cleared my knowledge on the matter up somewhat. We haven't actually banned guns, just clamped down really hard on them. On the other hand, I'm guessing you're not interested in that.
I'll start off by saying that I know the site you've linked, and it's biased. That's not a bad thing, considering that all articles and websites show bias to some degree, but it's probably not what you'd want to cite if you're looking to convince people of your evidence.
Secondly, we banned (Well, clamped down on. I should really stop saying banned) guns because of a number of horrendous
gun related murders and mass murders that had previously occurred. As a result, gun related incidents and murders are down by more than three quarters. Admittedly we now have greater problems with knifings and glassings, but we've pretty much stopped the potential for mass shootings. We've made it significantly more difficult for those with mental/emotional issues, as well as criminals in general, to obtain firearms. Also, we've reduced the number of accidental gun related deaths down to pretty much zero.
Crime rates have increased in recent years, but that's on a youth gang/alcohol related level. Things such as glassings are alcohol related crimes - and not relevant to guns. The problems we have with gangs are a tad more serious, but (we believe) it's better to have neither party in possession of guns, than the dangerous chap in possession of a firearm, while the person he's mugging/shooting has a small chance of carrying one around on his person. Besides, it's easier to defend yourself in the case of a knifing or glassing related incident - running suddenly becomes an option, as well.
As for the scenario in which people might be less likely to be robbed on the off chance that they're carrying a gun around, that's pretty much ludicrous. It's much more likely that you could be being mugged, or in the case of a feud/grudge, already have been shot, before you know that the other person is a threat.
Think of the level of danger associated with weapons as a sliding scale, going up as they improve in sophistication. At the top you have nukes. It's not good if everyone (talking on the level of nations here) has nukes, because the chances of fatal incidents goes up significantly. You get M.A.D. situations developing, and nobody wants that. Down the scale, you have guns. The chance of an incident being fatal if guns are involved is still pretty high, and so they're still pretty dangerous. Near the bottom end, you have knives and things. They're still terrible, and incidents involving them are just as bad, but the chances of the incident proving fatal go down significantly.
Crime levels may be going up, but fatality levels are way down. Also, notice that not even the far right wing Australian politicians are pushing for a return for the guns to the general public? The system we have works now, and we like it that way. Knifings and whatnot are still a big issue, but they're much easier to deal with than potential shootings and whatnot.
