The lives of many Canadians changed the night police rolled up to Mr. Tomlinson's local home years ago and seized a prized collection of firearms. Mr. Tomlinson made up his mind that night to get involved in an organization to protect and advise law-abiding gun owners of their rights.
Another bush ballad in "cartoons, poetry and wit"
Once a Jolly Shooter camped by his Parliament,
Under the shade of the money tree;
He was there to make a protest to keep his trusty shooting irons,
All by him self and alone was he.
To the tune of Waltzing Matilda.
John Howard gives Rugby $25 mill - Shooters shafted
Rugby is played in over 120 countries throughout the world and is a game rich in history, traditions, camaraderie and community involvement. Its popularity in Australia continues to grow, with grassroots participation increasing by 9.5 per cent in 2006 to just under 194,000.
Comment: Shooting is conducted world wide, with a longer history and almost one million grassroots participants in Australia, but shooters are demonised at every opportunity.
Japan: Beefed up gun control in the works
A government project team completed Monday a package of proposals to tighten firearms restrictions in the wake of the April assassination of Nagasaki Mayor Itcho Ito and the gunning down of a riot police officer in Aichi Prefecture in May. Related article
CLASS Opinion: Is the media biased? You bet!
The Channel Nine Today Show's Compere thinks twelve votes constitutes an overwhelming majority of Australians.
Control order plan for bikies
BIKIE GANG members could be placed under terrorist control orders as part of a national crackdown on organised crime. Mr Cameron said the group would also discuss establishing a national guns database that tracks firearms across the country. "There will be a proposal for hopefully in November as to how this will be implemented," he said. The database will aid police investigations by allowing them to access information about guns registered across the country.
UK: Rail crash trauma ‘made me a killer’
A man who claims he was turned into a killer by the trauma that he suffered in the Ladbroke Grove rail crash began an unprecedented claim for £300,000 in compensation yesterday. After two years of depression, frequent absences from work and bouts of anxiety and nervousness, Gray, 47, stabbed a pedestrian to death with a kitchen knife in August 2001 when his victim drunkenly hammered on his car window.
Comment: A kitchen knife! Why haven't they been banned? And trains: Just ban them, too!
SA: Firearms 'expert' pontificates
COULD Natasha Stott Despoja be looking at life after politics? With regular host Kim Watkins away, Channel 10's 9am with David and Kim is rotating guest hosts.
UK: Government figures 'missing' two million violent crimes
An extra two million violent crimes a year are committed in Britain than previously thought because of a bizarre distortion in the Government's flagship crime figures, it was claimed yesterday. A former Home Office research expert said that across all types of crime, three million offences a year are excluded from the British Crime Survey (BCS).
Comment: Don't like the statistics? Fiddle them!
NSW: New top cop: I'm not here to fight petty crime
NEW police commissioner Andrew Scipione has rejected community calls for an assault on petty crime, saying he does not want to fill our jails with small-time offenders. And he has flatly rejected calls for NSW to emulate the success of New York with zero tolerance policing, saying the policy would not work in NSW.
Scotland: Got a licence for that sporran?
Kilt wearers could face prosecution if they do not have a licence for their sporran under new legislation which has been introduced in Scotland.
Comment: Too many politicians with too little to do. Sound familiar?
US: Another anti-gun group member up on gun charges
The founder of an antiviolence group called No Guns pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal weapons charges. Hector "Big Weasel" Marroquin is accused of selling an assault rifle, a machine gun, two pistols and two silencers to undercover federal agents last fall. He could face up to 50 years in prison if convicted.
Campaigners target handguns
The 2002 National Agreement on Handguns led to some easily concealable weapons being banned outright while training and waiting period provisions for sporting shooters became more stringent. But the agreement did not go far enough for Gun Control Australia's John Crook, who wants to ban nearly all handguns and describes some gun enthusiasts as "extremists". "There are extremists in the handgun community who would like to drag us down the same road as America, simply so they can be amused by their hobby.
Comment: It would be nice if, just for once, someone remembers that this handgun is already illegal.
The death dealers
It (Christopher Hudson's pistol which he used to murder a Melbourne solicitor) is illegal in Australia on two counts: it combines a brutally heavy calibre with a short barrel that makes it easy to hide, a recipe for carnage in criminal hands. And it is a product of a sinister black market that, like the drug trade, ran out of control while authorities concentrated on easier targets.
Comment: Easier targets—such as licensed firearm owners. w26
NSW: Man quizzed over guns seizure
A 48-year-old man was today being questioned over the seizure of more than 310 firearms at a Wagga Wagga gun shop, police said.
VIC: CFCV does not support a national firearms registry
A presentation was provided to the Firearms Consultative Committee (FCC) on the NFMS framework on 18 May for its information. The FCC was not asked to endorse the NFMS and did not do so. We appreciate the work that has gone into this project, however we are now hearing rumours that the NFMS, which was intended to be a firearm tracking system and provide the community with various net benefits, is now being touted as a nationally based firearms registry.
Canada: Hubris in the North
Hubris in the North: The Canadian Gun Registry fails to improve public safety as homicide rate and gang-related killings increase... A new paper by Gary Mauser of the Fraser Institute arguing that Canada's gun laws are a failure. PDF document (1 Mg.)
Submitted by DG.
UK: Blog—The end of my gun culture
Just had a visit from two uniformed officers. Reason? My firearms renewal, but more significantly this blog. It seems that my crappy little corner of the blogosphere has come to the attention of the police, and they don’t like it.
Comment: We're from the Police and we're here to help you.
VIC: Guns, weapons seized in bikie raids
DRUGS and weapons were seized and four men were charged when police carried out simultaneous raids on members of the Rebels Motorcycle Club yesterday morning. A loaded handgun found under a bed at the Rebels Motorcycle Club's Edols St headquarters was one of the most concerning discoveries police made during raids on four properties in Highton, North Geelong and East Geelong.
QLD: Katter—"People should be armed"
ALL north Queensland residents and travellers should be armed with high-calibre weapons to protect themselves from crocodiles, according to maverick MP Bob Katter. Mr Katter said croc numbers had reached plague proportions and the reptiles were being seen in places never before recorded. "People should be armed . . . What do they want us to do? Knock them on the head with a hammer?" Submitted by PC (Qld)
NSW: Father, daughter stabbed to death
A FAMILY has been devastated in a stabbing attack in southwest Sydney that has left a father and his daughter dead. The family's mother, who was seriously injured in the attack, ran from the Revesby Heights home where it occurred to raise the alarm with a neighbour about 3.50pm today, police said.
7.30 report: Shooting prompts call for illegal guns crackdown
(The Melbourne shooting) has ignited a growing debate over the illegal gun trade in Australia and whether authorities are winning the fight to get illegal weapons off the streets. Program transcript --- Streaming video.
Comment: Good for SSAA (SA); but why is SSAA's National Office so silent?
UK: Shopkeeper fined £250 for hitting back against thieves
Jacob Smyth chased three youths out of his hardware shop in Penzance, Cornwall, when he was set upon. When he was kicked in the groin by one of the hooded youths who had stolen cans of spray paint Mr Smyth hit back. Police issued fixed penalty tickets to the shoplifters but charged Mr Smyth and a colleague with assault.
US: Muzzleloaders return
Aimed at targets (at the Pacific Zone Championships) will be flintlock muskets, rifles, pistols and shotguns; percussion rifles, pistols and shotguns; and matchlock smoothbore muskets and pistols. The Japanese were unable to secure permission from their government to bring their firearms out of their country.
UK: Gun Law
WITH his black body armour and bearing a deadly assault rifle and handgun, this menacing officer looks better suited to the set of Judge Dredd than patrolling Scots streets. But this armed and dangerous supercop is one of hundreds of new Bobbies on the beat cracking down on our spiralling gun crime rates.
Comment: Spiralling gun crime? The gun bans were supposed to stop that.
Australian Newspapers Online
Bookmark this site: It will prove useful for anyone seeking details of any newspaper in Australia. Also has some scans of early newspapers which will prove of interest to history buffs — of whom we have a number in CLASS.
UK: When is a gun not a gun?
On 13 September 2006, amid a great deal of media fanfare, police officers swooped on a house in Dartford, Kent, and claimed to have busted a huge gun-smuggling racket. Nine months later, the only man arrested on that day - Mick Shepherd - has walked free from the Old Bailey after being found not guilty of 13 firearms charges. w27
AIC Report: Murder rate up - firearm homicide down
The weapons and methods used in homicide have remained relatively the same compared with previous years, with a knife or sharp instrument accounting for a third of all homicide victims. The use of firearms has again declined, with 14 percent of homicides committed with a firearm.
US: Stop annual meltdown of illegal firearms
Perhaps state law demands that county sheriffs destroy confiscated firearms, but common sense suggests that the law should be changed. I couldn't help but think that all those firearms could easily be valued at $200 to $800 a piece in the legal marketplace. The profits (from the sale) could be added to his budget, and the sale would benefit many of the hundreds of thousands who lawfully own a firearm.
Alleged gunman may have robbed a hotel earlier that night
A GUNMAN who shot and killed a Brisbane police officer at a Brisbane home on Wednesday night has died in hospital. He is alleged to have robbed a Brisbane hotel just hours before the shooting and officers found about $6000 cash at the premises, police sources said.
Brisbane police shooting
When two police officers knocked on the front door of a Keperra home late last night on a "routine matter", they had no idea one of them would be dead within the hour. Constable Brett Irwin, 33, was killed while trying to arrest a man who was known by local police to have a criminal history. Submitted by PC (Qld) w29
AIC Report: Homicide in Australia 2005-2006
Firearm homicide rate is down but murder rate overall increased by 14% compared to the previous year, according to the Australian Institute of Criminology. During the current year, the incidence of homicide increased by 14 percent compared to 2004-05, this represents an increase of 34 homicide incidents.
QLD: Policeman shot dead in Brisbane
Constable Brett Irwin was fatally wounded when he and a colleague went to a house at Regan Street in Keperra, in Brisbane's north-west, to speak to a man about a warrant.
CLASS: The warrant is understood to relate to a bail absconder.
NSW: Man charged for illegal gun and drug supply
A man is due to face court today after being charged by Firearms and Regulated Industries Crime Squad detectives investigating illegal gun and drug supply in the state's central west. Strike Force Hispano was set up in June last year and over the past 12 months it will be alleged detectives seized a quantity of amphetamines.
PM asks cabinet, Is it me?
The Prime Minister asked an electoral war cabinet in Canberra, "Am I the problem?", inviting his colleagues to offer frank criticism of his leadership. But his colleagues were silent. The meeting, ostensibly called to discuss climate change, became an open debate about the Coalition's dire polling position.
Comment: Well, yes PM, we think it is. If you had not so assiduously targeted Australia's one million firearm owners the coalition might not be experiencing its current political problems.
It's Russia’s Trademark Gun, but Others Grab the Profits
(The) United States has become a premier distributor handing out the weapons to indigenous police officers and soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. (But) the Pentagon has shunned purchases from Russia, opting instead for AK-47 knockoffs available for sale or donation from other countries’ stockpiles. (The true AK-47 was short lived and swiftly modified; its many variants, almost all of which the Soviet Union helped create via foreign aid, are often inaccurately called AK-47s, by now universal shorthand.)
NSW: Villains robbing the cop-shop
In a major embarrassment for NSW Police, officers failed to protect their own property on 628 occasions last year, documents obtained by The Daily Telegraph reveal. The figures include break-ins at police stations. Opposition police spokesman Mike Gallacher also warned that people breaking into police stations could be doing so to access weapons.
Comment: Are there more break-ins at police stations than at gun owners homes? Possibly. Quick, someone tell Ms Lee and her cronies at the NCGC.
NSW: Man charged over gun in nightclub
Police were called to a club on Oxford Street in Darlinghurst at 6.30pm (AEST) yesterday after staff and patrons reported seeing the weapon.
UK: Dealer slams police investigation
TODAY a gun dealer who
proved his innocence
slams a police
investigation that left
him to suffer an
agonising ten-month wait
in custody in two of
London's toughest jails.
Michael Shepherd, 56,
faced 32 years in prison
after being arrested in
September last year
following an 18-month
operation by the Met
police's anti-gun crime
Trident squad.
Oz: Pollies on MySpace
Now, this probably qualifies as "cruel and unusual punishment", but take a gander at the websites of Australian MP's on MySpace. Have a laugh at their list of 'achievements'. Warning: Strong stomach needed!
Canada: Poll rejects gun control
A federally commissioned poll of ‘stakeholders’ selected by the government to comment on potential changes to gun control found more opposition than support for tighter restrictions. When tougher screening measures were presented to participants in the survey, they were more often poorly received, while changes that appeared to lessen the burden on gun owners, such as dropping a five-year license renewal requirement, were supported by a majority of participants.
Submitted by PC (QLD)
TAS: Howard gun scare at Launceston airport
There has been a security scare at Launceston Airport after a man produced parts of a gun while trying to book a ticket to fly to Canberra and see Prime Minister John Howard.
Also of interest: - John Howard's call on the 10th. anniversary of Pt Arthur. PM urges tighter gun laws
Gun theft gangs strike again
Three security guards were disarmed and robbed during a cash delivery at a Commonwealth Bank branch today - the fourth armoured van hold-up in three weeks.
Jamaica: "Dem kill smaddy"
Sometime last year, while attempting to drive along Lyndhurst Road, I noticed all the vehicles ahead of me making U turns and going in the opposite direction. I barely glimpsed a piece of the yellow police 'crime-scene' tape when a truck driver, noticing my quizzical appearance, shouted to me, "Dem kill smaddy!"
Comment: Gee whiz, aren't guns banned in Jamaica?
US: Lawmaker Opposing Deadly Force Bill Shoots Thief
A state lawmaker who opposed a bill giving Texans stronger right to defend themselves with deadly force pulled a gun and shot a man he says was trying to steal copper wiring from a construction site, police said Monday.
Submitters comment: Don't you just love these hypocrites?
NSW: Latest on Wagga gun seizure
New details have emerged about the seizure of hundreds of guns from a Wagga Wagga address in southern New South Wales last week.
Scotland: Police planned burger reward in gun amnesty
SENIOR police chiefs considered offering free junk food and CDs as "inducements to surrender" in a desperate attempt to cut the number of potentially lethal air-guns on the streets of Scotland. Comment: Good grief, 'Buns for Guns'!
The weird world of Mexican law enforcement
GUN-LESS TIJUANA POLICE ISSUED SLINGSHOTS . . . The Tijuana, Mexico, police department has issued about 60 slingshots to officers due to the fact that their guns were confiscated by federal authorities, reports the Associated Press. The city's 2,000 police officers have been without guns since Jan. 5, when their firearms were confiscated amid allegations that corrupt officers were supporting drug traffickers.
Sorry, the AP link is outdated.
UK: Boy gunned down by bicycle gang
A TEENAGE boy has been shot dead after he was chased down through the streets of south London by a pack of up to 20 youths on bicycles, in the latest suspected gang killing plaguing the area. The 16-year-old was chased by at least six or seven youths wearing bandanas to cover their faces, London police have said.
Comment: Let us not forget that civilian ownership of handguns is totally banned in the UK.
CANADA: Missing the target on gun crime
Last week, Statistics Canada reported the national crime rate last year dipped to its lowest level in more than a quarter century. Apparently, no one told the gun-toting thugs who murdered an 11-year-old boy in Toronto last weekend along with three other people, fatally shot a 37-year-old man in broad daylight on a Halifax residential street and wounded four others inside a Winnipeg nightclub.
QLD: Closing date for submissions
We have been advised that the closing date for submissions to the Queensland Weapons Act Review is Friday, 14 September 2007.
VIC: US firm guns for contract
Two employees from Smith and Wesson met (Victoria Police} force command and the Police Association yesterday to talk about their weaponry. The State Government pledged before last year's election to provide $10 million for new semi-automatic firearms and stun-guns.
US: Miss Kansas has roots in nature
Last weekend Cara Gorges was dressed in a knock-about clothing, her hair was tucked beneath a Royals cap, and her face showed beads of sweat from the July heat. Within the last year she's found another outdoors passion -- target shooting. Submitted by DG. DG's comment: "Love at first sight".
The killing of an 11-year-old boy caught in the crossfire of a gang war has sparked outrage among many levels of government and prompted Ontario's attorney general to lobby Ottawa for tougher gun measures. "We need to choke off the gun supply from legal gun owners to illegal gun owners."
Comment: Ye Gods! They're all using the same hymn book.
ACT: Taxpayers fun Federal MP's shoot-up party
US: Introducing children to firearms
Tom Wright recently took his grandson Cole out to teach him how to shoot. A lot of people wonder what age you can start your kids and it is mostly an individual preference. It depends on the youngster and the adult supervising. Above all, we need to do it in a safe manner.
NSW: Sawn-off gun found at triple shooting site
AIC Report: Murder rate up - firearm homicide down
The weapons and methods used in homicide have remained relatively the same compared with previous years, with a knife or sharp instrument accounting for a third of all homicide victims. The use of firearms has again declined, with 14 percent of homicides committed with a firearm.
US: Stop annual meltdown of illegal firearms
Perhaps state law demands that county sheriffs destroy confiscated firearms, but common sense suggests that the law should be changed. I couldn't help but think that all those firearms could easily be valued at $200 to $800 a piece in the legal marketplace. The profits (from the sale) could be added to his budget, and the sale would benefit many of the hundreds of thousands who lawfully own a firearm.
Alleged gunman may have robbed a hotel earlier that night
A GUNMAN who shot and killed a Brisbane police officer at a Brisbane home on Wednesday night has died in hospital. He is alleged to have robbed a Brisbane hotel just hours before the shooting and officers found about $6000 cash at the premises, police sources said.
Brisbane police shooting
When two police officers knocked on the front door of a Keperra home late last night on a "routine matter", they had no idea one of them would be dead within the hour. Constable Brett Irwin, 33, was killed while trying to arrest a man who was known by local police to have a criminal history. Submitted by PC (Qld)
UK: .577 double rifle brings £66,000 at auction
A gun used to kill more than a thousand African elephants has sold for £66,000 (A$157,250) at auction in London. It fetched more than four times the estimated sale price of £12,000 to £16,000 at Bonhams auction house on Wednesday night.
TAS: Police swoop on gun dealer
POLICE seized 2000 guns worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in a swoop on a New Town firearms business yesterday. About a dozen uniform, forensic and plain clothes officers spent several hours removing a large haul of shotguns, rifles and ammunition after the earl-morning raid of two properties owned by log-running licensed firearms dealer Stuart Woods.
US 'loses' 190,000 weapons in Iraq
THE US Government cannot account for 190,000 weapons issued to Iraqi security forces in 2004 and 2005, says the Government Accountability Office. According to its July 31 report, the military “cannot fully account for about 110,000 AK-47 assault rifles, 80,000 pistols, 135,000 items of body armour and 115,000 helmets reported as issued to Iraqi forces”.
Comment: Here's a thought; ban government gun ownership.
NZ: Machineguns to star in auction
Two heavy machine guns owned by a Masterton gun collector are going under the hammer in Wellington this week. The World War I British Vickers machine gun and Czechoslovakian machine gun were the pride and joy of Masterton electrician Allan Nattrass, who died in a car crash near Solway Park in September.
Ebay bolsters anti-shooter credentials
In mid-August, we will be updating our Firearms, Weapons and Knives Policy to place more restrictions around gun-related items. Once these changes take effect, we will prohibit listings of any firearm part that is required for the firing of a gun. This includes items like bullet tips, brass casings and shells, barrels, slides, cylinders, magazines, firing pins, trigger assemblies, etc. Not really related, but interesting
Canada: U of T closes shooting range
"In today's world, even the perception of tolerance of guns and gun violence is seen as a negative," said Catherine Riggall, the university's vice-president of business affairs, who approved the decision recently. "This is the last university in the country to have a gun range on campus ... it's just not seen as a priority activity."
AK47: The Story of the People's Gun
There was a hint of a Russified Jack London in the childhood and adolescence of Mikhail Kalashnikov. The expanses of Siberia standing in for the Pacific north-west perhaps; there was an old rifle for hunting in the woods (and) the mysterious gift of an American Browning revolver. A Browning revolver?
Canada: Handgun ban off target
A salute to Nova Scotia Justice Minister Murray Scott, and Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil, for refusing to climb on the bandwagon being rolled out (yet again) by Ontario's Liberal government and Toronto Mayor David Miller. As Scott commented last week, "we need to zero in on the illegal firearms, as opposed to taking away firearms from people who use them in a lawful way."
Aboriginal leader raided for owning a toy gun
Spies watch rise of virtual terrorist
US: State trooper shoots himself in the hand
An off-duty state trooper accidentally shot himself in the hand Tuesday afternoon and was rushed to Central Maine Medical Center. Keith Frank, a former Auburn police officer and a veteran state trooper, shot himself in the left palm as he was entering his Pownal Road home in Auburn. Frank was taking the .45-caliber handgun off his belt when it went off, Auburn Sgt. Eric Audette said.
Comment: No doubt the 'professor' will claim this shows just how unsafe handguns can be.
SA: Armed robber flees on push bike
The man entered the Smokemart on South Road at 11.30pm and threatened staff with a gun before fleeing on a push bike with a small amount of money and two cartons of cigarettes.
VIC: Deadly state — tracking the killers among us
Bond University-based criminologist Dr Wayne Petherick said that because firearms were not easily available in Australia, many homicides involved knives and most were committed by people who knew their victim.
Comment: The salient fact is not that fewer homicide are committed with guns, it is that the Prime Minister's gun laws have done absolutely nothing to reduce the overall homicide rate.
UK: More shootings in "Gunchester".
Two separate shootings killed one person and wounded two others, including a teenager, in Manchester, a city known as "Gunchester" in the 1990s because of its widespread firearms crime. Related news item.
Comment: Fewer guns, more crime?
UK: Town placed on alert after two heifers escape
A town remains on alert, 24 hours after two heifers escaped from a cattle market, sparking the deployment of police marksmen. One cow has been shot dead but the other remains on the loose and police have renewed warnings that the half-ton animal is extremely dangerous.
Comment: Good grief, police marksmen! "The sky is falling, the sky is falling" w31
UK: .577 double rifle brings £66,000 at auction
A gun used to kill more than a thousand African elephants has sold for £66,000 (A$157,250) at auction in London. It fetched more than four times the estimated sale price of £12,000 to £16,000 at Bonhams auction house on Wednesday night.
TAS: Police swoop on gun dealer
Tasmanian Police have seized over 2000 guns worth thousands of dollars in an swoop on a New Town gun dealer. A dozen uniform and palin clothes officer were involved in the operation.
US 'loses' 190,000 weapons in Iraq
THE US Government cannot account for 190,000 weapons issued to Iraqi security forces in 2004 and 2005, says the Government Accountability Office. According to its July 31 report, the military “cannot fully account for about 110,000 AK-47 assault rifles, 80,000 pistols, 135,000 items of body armour and 115,000 helmets reported as issued to Iraqi forces”.
Comment: Here's a thought; ban government gun ownership.
NZ: Machineguns to star in auction
Two heavy machine guns owned by a Masterton gun collector are going under the hammer in Wellington this week. The World War I British Vickers machine gun and Czechoslovakian machine gun were the pride and joy of Masterton electrician Allan Nattrass, who died in a car crash near Solway Park in September.
Ebay bolsters anti-shooter credentials
In mid-August, we will be updating our Firearms, Weapons and Knives Policy to place more restrictions around gun-related items. Once these changes take effect, we will prohibit listings of any firearm part that is required for the firing of a gun. This includes items like bullet tips, brass casings and shells, barrels, slides, cylinders, magazines, firing pins, trigger assemblies, etc. Not really related, but interesting
Canada: U of T closes shooting range
"In today's world, even the perception of tolerance of guns and gun violence is seen as a negative," said Catherine Riggall, the university's vice-president of business affairs, who approved the decision recently. "This is the last university in the country to have a gun range on campus ... it's just not seen as a priority activity."
AK47: The Story of the People's Gun
There was a hint of a Russified Jack London in the childhood and adolescence of Mikhail Kalashnikov. The expanses of Siberia standing in for the Pacific north-west perhaps; there was an old rifle for hunting in the woods (and) the mysterious gift of an American Browning revolver.
Canada: Handgun ban off target
A salute to Nova Scotia Justice Minister Murray Scott, and Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil, for refusing to climb on the bandwagon being rolled out (yet again) by Ontario's Liberal government and Toronto Mayor David Miller. As Scott commented last week, "we need to zero in on the illegal firearms, as opposed to taking away firearms from people who use them in a lawful way."
Aboriginal leader raided for owning a toy gun
Spies watch rise of virtual terrorist
US: State trooper shoots himself in the hand
An off-duty state trooper accidentally shot himself in the hand Tuesday afternoon and was rushed to Central Maine Medical Center. Keith Frank, a former Auburn police officer and a veteran state trooper, shot himself in the left palm as he was entering his Pownal Road home in Auburn. Frank was taking the .45-caliber handgun off his belt when it went off, Auburn Sgt. Eric Audette said.
The man entered the Smokemart on South Road at 11.30pm and threatened staff with a gun before fleeing on a push bike with a small amount of money and two cartons of cigarettes.
VIC: Deadly state — tracking the killers among us
A criminologist at Bond Universaty,Dr Wayne Petherick, says that because firearms were not easily available in Australia, many homicides involved knives were committed by people known to the victim.
Comment: The salient fact is not that fewer homicide are committed with guns, it is that the Prime Minister's gun laws have done absolutely nothing to reduce the overall homicide rate.
UK: More shootings in "Gunchester".
Two separate shootings killed one person and wounded two others, including a teenager, in Manchester, a city known as "Gunchester" in the 1990s because of its widespread firearms crime. Related news item.
Comment: Fewer guns, more crime?
UK: Town placed on alert after two heifers escape
A town remains on alert, 24 hours after two heifers escaped from a cattle market, sparking the deployment of police marksmen. One cow has been shot dead but the other remains on the loose and police have renewed warnings that the half-ton animal is extremely dangerous.
Comment: Good grief, police marksmen! "The sky is falling, the sky is falling" w31
NSW: Man charged over armed home invasion
QLD: Beattie in Hanson's sights
PAULINE Hanson's new political party will not run candidates in Lower House seats at the upcoming federal election, but the former One Nation leader has warned Premier Peter Beattie she will take him on at the next state poll.
NSW: Father of five shot to death in car
A father of five was shot dead as he was about to leave for work in Sydney's west. Police said family members found the 37-year-old slumped in his black BMW sedan, which was parked in the driveway of his home in Aubrey St, South Granville, at 6.20 (AEST). It is believed the man was shot once in the head, but police have declined to confirm the details of his injury.
US:
PETA
Employee charged with stealing
dog
The animal
may have been marked for
destruction at PETA's Norfolk
headquarters.
People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PETA)
employee Andrea Florence Benoit
will be arraigned today in
Southampton County (VA) Circuit
Court on a felony charge of
stealing a local Animal Control
officer's hunting dog. Benoit
was indicted by a Grand Jury on
July 16.
NSW: Lest we forget
Twenty-five years ago...it was relatively easy to pick up items from as far back as World War I, including weapons, uniforms and basic insignia. Now there are only seven disposals stores in greater Sydney and the chances of finding anything vintage are rare, although not impossible. Collectors will need an appropriate licence before starting to collect weapons, even those not intended to be used. Firearms must be stored in safes.
US: Media biased on gun control
Here is another example of the poorly-researched mix of fact and opinion prevalent in today’s reporting.
Russia develops 'anti-terrorist' Kalashnikov
Light, silent and regulation black: the AK-9 is the latest model of the famous Kalashnikov assault rifle to come off production lines at the Izhmash factory in Russia. "It shoots virtually without a sound and it can go through a bullet-proof vest," said Alexei Dragunov, 52, one of the designers of the weapon, as he assembled the gun at a firing range in a Russian forest.
UK: London gangs biggest problem after terrorism
Scotland Yard has just completed the task of counting how many street gangs there are in London. The results are staggering: there are more than 170, some of them up to 100-strong. On any given night, several thousand gang members are roaming the capital, many of them thirsting for violence. In other British cities, notably Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Birmingham, there is a similar picture. Submitted by CE
China: High-Tech plan to track citizens
Starting this month in a port neighborhood and then spreading across Shenzhen, a city of 12.4 million people, residency cards fitted with powerful computer chips will be issued to most citizens. Data on the chip will include not just the citizen’s name and address but also work history, educational background, religion, ethnicity, police record, medical insurance status and landlord’s phone number.
US: United States follows China's path
The Department of Homeland Security is funneling millions of dollars to local governments nationwide for purchasing high-tech video camera networks, accelerating the rise of a "surveillance society" in which the sense of freedom that stems from being anonymous in public will be lost, privacy rights advocates warn.
Shooters get a taste of wild west
Sidle up to the bar in the Short Twig Saloon some Saturday afternoon, sixguns on your hips, and chances are you'll hear some shooting that's meant for you. That doesn't mean you have to slam back a shot and get ready to draw iron. Nor is it a signal to slink out of town like a yella' bellied skunk.
Bikie gangs targeted in guns blitz
A special intelligence operation to crack down on the activities of bikie gangs has been launched by the Australian Crime Commission. The Age newspaper reports that "Bikie gangs are believed to be behind a sophisticated network smuggling illegal automatic and semi-automatic weapons." w33
UK: Burglar falls from roof — homeowner charged
A homeowner was arrested after a burglar plunged from the balcony of his top-floor flat and later died in hospital. The intruder suffered head injuries and died in hospital after falling around 30ft on to a concrete path. Patrick Walsh, 56, awoke to find an intruder in his flat on Corkland Road in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, south Manchester. Submitted by DG
US: Complaint could have been ruse
A new court filing says when inspectors for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives complained about a "threat" from a gun shop manager, it could have been no more than an excuse to end their unsuccessful efforts to find any paperwork violations...with regulators using rules infractions such as a missing poster to attack (the shop's) business operations. Submitted by PC (Qld).
VIC: Gun control lobby calls for tighter gun laws
On the 20th anniversary of the Hoddle Street massacre, the fgun control lobby has called for stricter laws controlling the ownership of firearms in Australia. "Gun Control Australia says stronger laws have reduced the number of mass killings in Australia, but is "worried" the test to obtain a shooting licence is far too easy."
The rifle that took the world by storm
Just as open-source Linux - the "communist" software, according to Steve Ballmer - has made Linus Torvalds famous, the genuinely communist open-source AK has given Mikhail Kalashnikov a profile at least as high. The AK47 and its successor designs are the most widely-used firearms on the face of the planet.
A very interesting item on MSNBC.com/Newsweek.com, pro-gun the same way that a photo-plus-voice gallery of a dozen gays (mostly in couples) talking calmly and reasonably about their homosexuality would be pro-gay: To people who see gun ownership as the sort of thing that No-One I Know Would Ever Do, simply seeing law-abiding gun owners as normal people — mostly family people, women as well as men, old as well as young — can have a profound effect. Submitted by CA - Not all links in the item are active.
Czechs own over 668,500 firearms
An overwhelming majority of the firearms are owned by holders of firearms permits, i.e. individuals, while only 25,000 firearms are owned by the holders of firearms licences, i.e. mostly companies trading in arms.
US: History of Marlin firearms - a family operation
John M. Marlin was born in Connecticut in 1836, and served his apprenticeship as a tool and die maker. During the Civil War, he worked at the Colt plant in Hartford, and in 1870 hung out his sign on State Street, New Haven, manufacturing his own line of revolvers and derringers. Submitted by DG.
US: Time to admit the 'gun nuts' are right
In the aftermath of the Petit family slayings in Cheshire, we all reached for explanations: How do human beings sink this low? How could this tragedy have been prevented? Why? There are so many nagging questions. They all need to be asked. And maybe some old arguments need to be hashed out again. Submitted by DG.
Lib party dossier says Howard regarded as old, dishonest
A dossier prepared by the Liberal Party's own pollsters, Crosby/Textor, shows that voters believe the Prime Minister, John Howard, is "old and dishonest".
Comment: Dishonest? John Howard? Crikey!
UK: Gangsters carrying color-personalised guns
When 16-year-old Abukar Mahamed was chased by a gang on bikes, shot and left to die in a south London estate last Thursday, he became the fifth teenager to be gunned down on the capital's streets since January. w32
UK: Murder thrusts gun crime to top of agenda
Gun crime and youth violence dominated the political stage on Thursday as Gordon Brown condemned the “heinous” murder of an 11-year-old boy gunned down while playing football with friends. Speaking ahead of a Downing Street summit on youth disorder and gang crime, the prime minister said the people responsible for the shooting that had “shocked” the country would be “tracked down, arrested and punished”.
Comment: What to do? Can't ban any more guns; I know, let's have a summit!
USA: School suspends 13yo for sketching "gun"
Chandler school officials have suspended a 13-year-old boy for sketching a picture that resembled a gun, saying it posed a threat to classmates. But parents of the Payne Junior High School student said the drawing was a harmless doodle of a fake laser, and school officials overreacted. The threatening sketch
Prime Minister's staff caught out editing Wikipedia
Bixarre, obscure, and poorly spelt contributions are among Wikipedia edits traced to the Prime Minister’s department – with one simply stating: “Poo bum dicky wee wee”. It has been revealed that staff at the Prime Minister’s department has been editing details on Wikipedia, including changing articles that were damaging to the government. While some of the contributions are about national political affairs, many are related to matters such as guitar trivia, bird watching, and historical results of Serbian football matches.
UK: Gun crime up 50% since 1996
Periodically, there is a national outcry about guns on our streets. It reached a climax 20 years ago this week when Michael Ryan shot and killed 16 people, including his mother, wounded 15 others, then killed himself. In 1996, there were 14,000 recorded offences in which firearms were reported to have been used. In 2005/6, the last period for which figures are available, there were 21,500.
VIC: State criminalizes self-defence
The State Government yesterday introduced tougher penalties for people caught carrying knives and other dangerous articles in or within 20m of a licensed venue. Under the changes to the Control of Weapons Act, anyone found carrying a weapon in a licensed venue could face up to four years in jail or a fine of up to $52,000. The new changes also abolish arguments of self-defence as a valid reason to be carrying a weapon.
UK: Two held in hunt for boys killer
Two teenage boys have been arrested over the murder of an 11-year-old boy who was shot dead on his way home from playing football. He was on his way home from football training, still wearing his kit, when he was shot at about 1930 BST. A witness said three shots were fired by a youth, with his face covered by a hood, who rode past on a BMX bicycle. Submitted by PC (Qld)
NSW: Tim Blair's Blog, "Think of the children"
Australian gun owners are among our most regulated citizens, subject to a huge range of laws and limits. As are our gun shops. Yet firearm fear is rousing some Sydney residents to panic:
The shop is opposite a community hall that runs a preschool centre. It is also near a bus interchange used by schoolchildren, and some neighbouring businesses say the approval, although legal, is inappropriate.
No greater condemnation exists. Submitted by DG.
UK: When criminals become "victims"....
A rail guard who came to the rescue after a drunken passenger abused travellers and threatened staff with a broom at Colchester station has been fired for defending commuters from a violent fare dodger. Bosses at rail company One Railway sacked him for gross misconduct. (He) will appear before a court on Thursday accused of threatening behaviour. Submitted by DG.
NSW: Rosevale — Locals take aim at gun shop
A concerned resident and parent from the KU Chase Pre-school, who wanted to be known only as Jacquie, said the neighbourhood shopping centre had a history of robberies because a methadone clinic operated there 10 years ago. Another parent from the childcare centre, who did not want to be named, said she feared the gun shop would attract hold-ups.
NSW: Rosevale — Residents irate over gun shop permit
Roseville residents once rejected a funeral parlour because the local Chinese restaurant declared it bad luck. Lisa Warrand is one of dozens of parents who fear the worst: the potential for an armed hold-up and shootout, or merely having to explain to children who walk past every day why a shop sells guns.
NSW: SMH reader comments on Roseville gunshop
State MP Michael O'Dea is campaigning against the establishment of a sporting goods store in Babbage Road Roseville Chase that will also sell firearms.
NSW: Man who swallows bullets comes clean
A man who swallowed six pistol bullets in an alleged attempt to hide them from police during a drug bust at a country hotel has come clean with the evidence, much to the relief of police. For almost four days last week Reginald Anthony Parker, 60, of Wagga Wagga, in south-western NSW kept police and corrective services officers guarding him as they waited for nature to take its course. Submitted by PC (Qld) - w33
UK: First there was Junk Science, now there's Junk Journalism
Stella McCartney, militant vegan, joins forces with Adidas, a company that profits from the bloody slaughter of kangaroos. As bright lights illuminate Stella McCartney's models on the catwalk at London Fashion Week this month, a gunman in far away Australia will be dimming his own spotlight after a night of butchery.
Report of the Virginia Tech review panel
On April 16, 2007, a tragic chapter was added to Virginia’s history when a disturbed
young man at Virginia Tech took the lives of 32 students and faculty, wounded many
others, and killed himself. In the midst of unspeakable grief, the Virginia Tech community
stood together, with tremendous support from friends in all corners of the world.
Towards an International Bill of Rights Union
The internet is an interesting thing. You can be communicating with somebody across town today, somebody in another state tonight, and somebody on the other side of the world tomorrow, all with equal ease. In fact if their e-mail address doesn't show it, and you don't know how to read that routing gobbledygook at the top of the message, you can be doing one of those three things and not know which one it is. People from various places around the world (the latest one was an Australian) have pointed out to me that what's going on politically in the United States -- the seemingly inexorable Nazification of a once-free civilization -- is going on practically everywhere else, as well.
Slow action faulted in Virginia Tech massacre
Officials' slow action likely cost lives of students and staff ahead of the bloodiest campus massacre in US history, an investigation into the April shooting at Virginia Tech University concluded Wednesday. "It might be argued that the total toll would have been less if the university had canceled classes and announced it was closed for business immediately after the first shooting; or if the earlier alert message had been stronger and clearer," the report said.
Defence Force slams faulty gun claims
The Defence Force has rejected claims that Australian soldiers are being forced to fight using faulty weapons. A report on television last night claimed there had been widespread problems for at least a year with weapons and ammunition used by the force. According to the report, up to 70,000 of the standard issue 5.56mm Steyr rifles had flaws, including situations in which the weapon could not be properly loaded.
94 years ago, liar H.K. McCann launched his NYC ad agency with the slogan "Truth Well Told." That was a big fat lie. Advertising copywriter Copyranter brings you instances of advertising lies and the lying liars who sell them. UK ad conglomerate Abbott Mead Vickers/BBDO has produced one of the coolest PSAs you'll ever see. They got a former Navy SEAL to shoot eggs and apples and stuff and filmed it at 10,000 frames per second. Will the commercial help stop gun violence? Probably not. But it really sexes up the agency's TV reel. After the jump, watch stuff go ka-BLAMMO!
Gun ownership not responsible for high level of violence
The Small Arms Survey dismisses suggestions that gun ownership and high levels of violence go hand in hand. It points to the situation in Latin America where there is a high crime right but low gun ownership. But Krause said studies had shown that violent incidents involving firearms often occurred in places undergoing rapid urban growth, and when lawless areas are created by extreme poverty and the absence of effective policing.
US: What would prevent shooting massacres?
Few tragedies make their victims feel more helpless than multiple-victim shootings. Imagine the terror: Unable to escape, simply waiting for the killer. With school starting, the April 16 attack at Virginia Tech that left 32 dead is still on many people’s minds. Some are looking for guarantees that such an attack won’t happen again.
Study claims 650 million civilian arms world wide
Civilians now have access to 650 million small arms — from handguns to semiautomatic rifles — an arsenal that far outstrips that held by police forces and the militaries worldwide, according to a report released Tuesday. The annual Small Arms Survey estimates that civilians account for about three quarters of the 875 million such weapons in circulation today. Small Arms Survey 2007 - Summary, including ownership rates.
UK: Row over gun culture grows
Row over gun culture grows as six teenagers are questioned in hunt for schoolboy's killer.
Six suspects were in custody last night being questioned by detectives hunting the killer of Rhys Jones. The six - all teenagers, including two girls - are among ten suspects who were arrested by Merseyside Police over the shooting.
Reader comments at the end of the article make interesting reading.
Gun Control's Twisted Outcome
Gun crime is just part of an increasingly lawless environment. From 1991 to 1995, crimes against the person in England's inner cities increased 91 percent. And in the four years from 1997 to 2001, the rate of violent crime more than doubled. Your chances of being mugged in London are now six times greater than in New York. England's rates of assault, robbery, and burglary are far higher than America's, and 53 percent of English burglaries occur while occupants are at home, compared with 13 percent in the U.S.
UK: Despite ban, gun crime doubled in decade
Despite a ban on handguns introduced in 1997 after 16 children and their teacher were shot dead in the Dunblane massacre the previous year, their use in crimes has almost doubled to reach 4,671 in 2005-06. Official figures show that although Britain has some of the toughest anti-gun laws in the world, firearm use in crime has risen steadily.
UK: The latest plan - gun drop-off zones
Government plans for a nationwide network of "drop-off" zones where illegal guns can be handed in anonymously have been branded as "feeble" by the Tories. They accused Labour of presiding over a "staggering" fourfold increase in deaths and injuries from attacks involving firearms.
Easy TargetsUK: Gangs flaunt guns on YouTube
Teenage gangs in Liverpool are using the popular video-sharing website YouTube to flaunt their culture of violence and law-breaking, taunting each other, making threats, and showing off guns and cars. Clips showing the activities of two gangs from the neighbouring Norris Green and Croxteth areas were posted on YouTube.
Comment: Another stunning victory for gun control!
NSW: Highway more of a threat to children in Roseville
Roseville's torture over a proposed gunshop in a shopping strip opposite a childcare centre is nothing new and most of the arguments raised last night in a two-hour public meeting were emotional rather than rational. In fact, the eight-lane highway outside the door would appear a far bigger threat to the lives of their children who attend the childcare each day than a fortified armoury. w34
UK: First there was Junk Science, now there's Junk Journalism
Stella McCartney, militant vegan, joins forces with Adidas, a company that profits from the bloody slaughter of kangaroos. As bright lights illuminate Stella McCartney's models on the catwalk at London Fashion Week this month, a gunman in far away Australia will be dimming his own spotlight after a night of butchery.
Report of the Virginia Tech review panel
On April 16, 2007, a tragic chapter was added to Virginia’s history when a disturbed
young man at Virginia Tech took the lives of 32 students and faculty, wounded many
others, and killed himself. In the midst of unspeakable grief, the Virginia Tech community
stood together, with tremendous support from friends in all corners of the world.
Towards an International Bill of Rights Union
The internet is an interesting thing. You can be communicating with somebody across town today, somebody in another state tonight, and somebody on the other side of the world tomorrow, all with equal ease. In fact if their e-mail address doesn't show it, and you don't know how to read that routing gobbledygook at the top of the message, you can be doing one of those three things and not know which one it is. People from various places around the world (the latest one was an Australian) have pointed out to me that what's going on politically in the United States -- the seemingly inexorable Nazification of a once-free civilization -- is going on practically everywhere else, as well.
Slow action faulted in Virginia Tech massacre
Officials' slow action likely cost lives of students and staff ahead of the bloodiest campus massacre in US history, an investigation into the April shooting at Virginia Tech University concluded Wednesday. "It might be argued that the total toll would have been less if the university had canceled classes and announced it was closed for business immediately after the first shooting; or if the earlier alert message had been stronger and clearer," the report said.
Defence Force slams faulty gun claims
The Defence Force has rejected claims that Australian soldiers are being forced to fight using faulty weapons. A report on television last night claimed there had been widespread problems for at least a year with weapons and ammunition used by the force. According to the report, up to 70,000 of the standard issue 5.56mm Steyr rifles had flaws, including situations in which the weapon could not be properly loaded.
94 years ago, liar H.K. McCann launched his NYC ad agency with the slogan "Truth Well Told." That was a big fat lie. Advertising copywriter Copyranter brings you instances of advertising lies and the lying liars who sell them. UK ad conglomerate Abbott Mead Vickers/BBDO has produced one of the coolest PSAs you'll ever see. They got a former Navy SEAL to shoot eggs and apples and stuff and filmed it at 10,000 frames per second. Will the commercial help stop gun violence? Probably not. But it really sexes up the agency's TV reel. After the jump, watch stuff go ka-BLAMMO!
Gun ownership not responsible for high level of violence
The Small Arms Survey dismisses suggestions that gun ownership and high levels of violence go hand in hand. It points to the situation in Latin America where there is a high crime right but low gun ownership. But Krause said studies had shown that violent incidents involving firearms often occurred in places undergoing rapid urban growth, and when lawless areas are created by extreme poverty and the absence of effective policing.
US: What would prevent shooting massacres?
Few tragedies make their victims feel more helpless than multiple-victim shootings. Imagine the terror: Unable to escape, simply waiting for the killer. With school starting, the April 16 attack at Virginia Tech that left 32 dead is still on many people’s minds. Some are looking for guarantees that such an attack won’t happen again.
Study claims 650 million civilian arms world wide
Civilians now have access to 650 million small arms — from handguns to semiautomatic rifles — an arsenal that far outstrips that held by police forces and the militaries worldwide, according to a report released Tuesday. The annual Small Arms Survey estimates that civilians account for about three quarters of the 875 million such weapons in circulation today. Small Arms Survey 2007 - Summary, including ownership rates.
UK: Row over gun culture grows
Row over gun culture grows as six teenagers are questioned in hunt for schoolboy's killer.
Six suspects were in custody last night being questioned by detectives hunting the killer of Rhys Jones. The six - all teenagers, including two girls - are among ten suspects who were arrested by Merseyside Police over the shooting.
Reader comments at the end of the article make interesting reading.
Gun Control's Twisted Outcome
Gun crime is just part of an increasingly lawless environment. From 1991 to 1995, crimes against the person in England's inner cities increased 91 percent. And in the four years from 1997 to 2001, the rate of violent crime more than doubled. Your chances of being mugged in London are now six times greater than in New York. England's rates of assault, robbery, and burglary are far higher than America's, and 53 percent of English burglaries occur while occupants are at home, compared with 13 percent in the U.S.
UK: Despite ban, gun crime doubled in decade
Despite a ban on handguns introduced in 1997 after 16 children and their teacher were shot dead in the Dunblane massacre the previous year, their use in crimes has almost doubled to reach 4,671 in 2005-06. Official figures show that although Britain has some of the toughest anti-gun laws in the world, firearm use in crime has risen steadily.
UK: The latest plan - gun drop-off zones
Government plans for a nationwide network of "drop-off" zones where illegal guns can be handed in anonymously have been branded as "feeble" by the Tories. They accused Labour of presiding over a "staggering" fourfold increase in deaths and injuries from attacks involving firearms.
Easy TargetsUK: Gangs flaunt guns on YouTube
Teenage gangs in Liverpool are using the popular video-sharing website YouTube to flaunt their culture of violence and law-breaking, taunting each other, making threats, and showing off guns and cars. Clips showing the activities of two gangs from the neighbouring Norris Green and Croxteth areas were posted on YouTube.
Comment: Another stunning victory for gun control!
NSW: Highway more of a threat to children in Roseville
Roseville's torture over a proposed gunshop in a shopping strip opposite a childcare centre is nothing new and most of the arguments raised last night in a two-hour public meeting were emotional rather than rational. In fact, the eight-lane highway outside the door would appear a far bigger threat to the lives of their children who attend the childcare each day than a fortified armoury. w34
UK: Mandatory sentences for gun crime 'not being imposed'.
Nearly two thirds of those caught with firearms are escaping the minimum jail terms set out in the 2003 Criminal Justice Act. Defendants are claiming exceptional circumstances - measures intended for those who simply forget to renew gun licences rather than thugs on the streets - to get away with lesser sentences.
Comment: Naturally; it's far easier to demonise legal owners than jail criminals.
US: Senate votes to address UN gun ban crusade
The U.S. Senate yesterday passed the Foreign Operations appropriations bill, which included an amendment by Senator David Vitter (R-LA) that seeks to address the U.N.’s ongoing international gun ban efforts. By an 81-10 vote, the Senate passed an amendment to prevent any funding to foreign organizations that infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of lawful American citizens. Submitted by PC (Qld).
US: Backing for two-tier internet
The US Justice Department has said that internet service providers should be allowed to charge for priority traffic. The agency said it was opposed to "network neutrality", the idea that all data on the net is treated equally. The comments put the agency at odds with companies such as Microsoft and Google, who have called for legislation to guarantee equal access to the net.
US: Federal Premium introduces Nitrex Optics
Scheduled to hit shelves this (northern) autumn, Nitrex Optics will first unveil their tough and rugged TR one series. This first offering of fogproof, shockproof and waterproof optics comprises four riflescopes and four binoculars designed for the avid outdoorsman.
NSW: John Howard's gun laws at work
Police from Hawkesbury Local Area Command arrested a man about 5.30 pm on September 6 after a short chase. A search of the man's car allegedly uncovered a loaded .22 calibre pistol, a quantity of prohibited drugs believed to speed, ecstasy and cannabis, as well as a sum of cash.
Comment: Another fine example of John Howard's 'Guns for Crims' laws at work.
UK: Firearms officer shot on range
A 48 year old firearms officer is in hospital after being shot during firing practice at Gatwick Police Station. The Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating after the Sussex Police tactical firearms officer, who has 20 years of police service, was shot on the afternoon of August 14 but the information was released for nearly three weeks. The news comes after earlier reports that a London police officer shot himself in the foot getting into his car.
Newspaper poll predicts Liberals will lose government
Kevin Rudd has steered Labor further ahead of the Coalition, extending support for the alternative government to a crushing 59 to 41 per cent. Labor has secured a four-point jump in support on a two-party preferred basis from the 55/45 per cent split a fortnight ago. The result takes Labor back to the lead it held in the first half of the year and is just shy of Mr Rudd’s record lead of 60 to 40 per cent in May. The failure to see any closing of Mr Rudd’s lead on any indicator is a blow to the Coalition.
UK: Government accused of 'covering up' gun crime
The government was accused of covering up the full extent of the gun crime epidemic sweeping Britain, after official figures showed that gun-related killings and injuries had risen more than fourfold since 1998. Home Office figures show that gun attacks in England and Wales soared from 864 in 1998-99 to 3,821 in 2005-06 indicating that more than 10 people are injured or killed in a gun attack every day.
Canada: Gun registry - Valuable tool or dead duck?
Every time someone gets shot in Toronto it's by some thug with no licence who certainly didn't register his gun. That's almost never mentioned by mostly Ontario politicians who call for yet more regulations on law-abiding folk. Putting a piece of paper alongside a firearm doesn't make anyone safer.
UK: Illegal guns traced to hidden factories in Lithuania
Hundreds of guns being brought into Britain illegally can be traced to factories in Lithuania. British detectives are working with undercover officers from eastern Europe to try to stem this tide of illegal arms. Officers believe gangs and organised crime networks are being supplied by gun factories hidden in the countryside outside the capital of Vilnius.
APEC: Hunt for missing rocket launchers
When George W. Bush flies into Sydney tonight, one awkward question will be in the minds of Australian security staff: where are the rocket launchers? The failure to answer that question comes at the end of one of the most extraordinary searches seen in this country. APEC has always been a deadline to find the weapons - people don't take rocket launchers to hold up the corner store so whoever knows where they are is almost certainly prepared to use them to cause major damage.
APEC: Special exemption for US Secret Service agents
US SECRET Service agents have been granted permission to bring their own weapons into Australia to protect the President, George Bush, despite the $170 million outlaid on security for the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum by Australian taxpayers.
The Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock signed a dispensation for the US in the past few days after weeks of negotiations.
Shooters turn recruiters to keep young guns firing
A new campaign aims to attract juniors to the nation's rifle ranges, reports Peter Munro.
CHILDREN as young as 12 are increasingly taking up shooting in their spare time in response to a push by gun clubs to attract junior members. The Sporting Shooters' Association of Australia, which already promotes "come and try" days at rifle ranges to families with young children, will this month launch its "sign up a junior" campaign.
US: Colorado Police link rise in violence to music
After a spate of shootings, and with a rising murder rate, police are saying gangsta rap is contributing to the violence, luring gang members and criminal activity to nightclubs. The police publicly condemned the music in a news release after a killing in July and are warning nightclub owners that their places might not be safe if they play gangsta rap.
Comment: Crikey, something else for John Howard to ban. Submitted by DG.
UK: Policeman shoots himself in the foot
An elite firearms officer was recovering in hospital yesterday after accidentally shooting himself in the leg. The weapon went off as the policeman, a member of Scotland Yard's Diplomatic Protection Group, was getting into his car in Grosvenor Square, central London.
It is thought the injured officer had forgotten to put on his gun's safety catch.
Faulty rifles put diggers at risk
AUSTRALIAN troops are being sent to war in the Middle East with faulty weapons that malfunction under extreme conditions, army reports reveal. Dozens of Australian-made F88 Steyr assault rifles have also been fitted with incorrect parts that cause them to misfire, further placing Australian troops in jeopardy. Submitted by DG
Shooters turn recruiters to keep young guns firing
Children as young as 12 are increasingly taking up shooting in their spare time in response to a push by gun clubs to attract junior members. The Sporting Shooters' Association of Australia, which already promotes "come and try" days at rifle ranges to families with young children, will this month launch its "sign up a junior" campaign.
Members of the association, the largest sporting shooters' group in Australia, have been urged to enrol their "son or daughter, grandchild, nephew or niece".
UK: Gun murder up in spite of handgun ban
A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of Tyrone Gilbert, who was shot at a wake for his friend. Mr Gilbert, 23, was shot on 27 July in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester. He died later in hospital. Aeeron Campbell, 24, of no fixed address, is also charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to murder, and other firearms and drugs charges. w35
PM: Party is nothing without me
JOHN Howard has compared the Liberals dismal polling to his own personal support level, saying that if the party was as popular as him, the Government wouldn't be in trouble this close to the election.
Vic: Bent cops linked to gangland murders
Victorian police have for the first time confirmed links between senior officers and Melbourne's gangland murders. Deputy Commissioner Simon Overland said detectives recently uncovered evidence of police involvement in two separate matters. He would not say whether one of the cases involved the murders of police informer Terence Hodson and his wife.
Comment: Deafening silence from John Howard, who was quick to offer support for tighter gun laws following the June 18 shooting in Melbourne.
RELATED: PM may talk to premiers on tighter gun laws.
Definitely not in Oz: Ministers oppose EU firearms directive
In Finland hunting is common among children aged 15 to 18.The reason for the proposal is that violence and suicides, which are often linked with firearms, are among the top causes of death in Europe among those aged 15 to 44.
Comment: Once again, statistics are twisted to support a flawed viewpoint.
Rates of private gun Ownership do not correlate to rates of murder
Many people think that nations with more firearms will have more murder and that banning firearms will reduce murder and other violence. This canard does not comport, however, with criminological research in the U.S. or elsewhere.
Tas: Police Minister supports changes to gun laws
A parliamentary committee is soon to make recommendations about lowering the legal age of off-range shooting and abolishing the 28-day cooling off period for people who already own a firearm. David Llewellyn says Tasmania's firearm laws aren't consistent with other states, which issue junior licences for children as young as twelve.
Tas: Children's commissioner supports 12 y.o. shooters
Children's commissioner Paul Mason made a submission to the Tasmanian parliamentary committee that voted last week to relax Tasmania's tough gun laws to allow younger children to shoot under supervision in the open. Mr Mason said yesterday it was "fine" for 12-year-olds to shoot in the country as long as they were constantly supervised and were shooting for primary industry purposes.
Banning a hunting gun is easy; just call it a sniper rifle
I am surprised by how often I run into folks who tell me that they were fine with the "Assault Weapon" ban because "nobody needs an assault weapon" I then explain to them that these guns were nothing more than normal semi-automatic guns that have 2 or more "evil looking" features (such as a pistol grip) that make them no more dangerous than any other semi automatic gun. I also tell them that the gun grabbers will NEVER take their hunting rifle without first calling it a "sniper rifle." That usually gets their attention.
UK: Gun crime fear 'across UK'
Following the public panic arising from a spate of shootings, including the killing of 11-year-old Rhys Jones in Liverpool, the home secretary Jacqui Smith said gun crime was largely concentrated in deprived urban communities. However, a new report today by the Policy Exchange points to a continuing gap between fear of crime and reality, with people across the country complaining their neighbourhood is less safe, include nearly a quarter of people living in rural areas.
TAS: Guns a boy's own adventure
Joyce Blake and her husband Robert got their first guns when they were 12 and have been rabbiting and kangarooing ever since. Their grandson Nathen, 13, has been shooting under supervision on a range for two months, and can't wait to be old enough to shoot in the bush. Tasmania's tough gun laws ban children younger than 16 years old from shooting in the bush, but with a parliamentary committee voting on Friday to lower the age, Nathen looks likely to get his wish sooner than expected. w36.
Tasmania to consider lowering gun use age
The Tasmanian Premier, Paul Lennon, has not ruled out lowering the legal age for children using guns in the bush. A joint parliamentary committee looking into the state's gun laws has recommended that children as young as fourteen be allowed to use firearms, as long as they are supervised by an adult. The Premier says the report will be considered. Greens Senator Christine Milne is outraged over the plans.
UK: Fourfold increase in gun crime since Dunblane
Despite policies to combat gun crime, levels have risen since the law was passed – there were 9,608 firearms offences recorded in 2006-07 compared with 5,209 in 1998-99. There were 864 fatal shootings and injuries between 1998 and 1999. By 2005-06, the total rose to 3,821, comprising 49 deaths, 476 serious injuries and 3,296 slight injuries
Great summer for Cowboy Action
When watching "3:10 to Yuma" cowboy shooters can't help but notice that Russell Crowe's personal handgun seems to be perfectly suited to his hand - and other actors don't just look at it like the handgun of a notorious outlaw, it seems to be almost uncomfortable in their hands. I was amazed to see some of the really rare firearms of that period in the hands of the actors.
Suicide numbers 'significantly under counted'
AUSTRALIA'S suicide rate may be significantly higher than the statistics show, according to a new report which claims that flawed data is painting an incorrect picture of the nation's mental health status. A study released today, on World Suicide Prevention Day, suggests there are problems with the official Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data that have led to serious under-counting of suicides nationally.
TAS: Gun law changes under fire
It has been reported that a parliamentary committee has recommended the legal age for children to use firearms in the bush be lowered. The (NCGC's) Roland Browne says it is a retrograde step. "It's just the same really as pushing tobacco products onto kids," Mr Browne said.
Australian Firearms Legislation and Unintentional Firearm Deaths
September 10 marks World Suicide Prevention Day, but new research in the respected international journal ‘Public Health’ by Samara McPhedran and Jeanine Baker suggests suicides may be higher than indicated by Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data, leading to the conclusion that suicides may be higher than shown, and unintentional firearm deaths lower. Comment: Slowly but surely much of the research used by John Howard in support of the NFA is becoming unraveled. UPDATE
UK: Wouldn't you feel safer with a gun?
Despite the recent spate of shootings on our streets, we pride ourselves on our strict gun laws. Every time an American gunman goes on a killing spree, we shake our heads in righteous disbelief at our poor benighted colonial cousins. Why is it, even after the Virginia Tech massacre, that Americans still resist calls for more gun controls? The short answer is that “gun controls” do not work: they are indeed generally perverse in their effects.
International Police Chiefs Advocate More Gun Control
An international organization of law enforcement executives has called on the U.S. government “to support strong and effective gun violence prevention policies” to reverse a two-year rise in violent crime. However, a pro-gun advocate urged the group's members to “shut up and do their jobs.”
WiSH: Kids and Guns - time for commonsense action
The increasingly shrill voice of the anti-gun lobby tells us this will put a gun in the hand of every child, and cries of 'God Bless Aus-merica' on every lip. There is no evidence-based justification for opposing the controlled introduction of juniors to legal shooting activities. The only excuse given is a vague muttering about tough gun laws being a moral imperative for avoiding "US gun culture".
Feel good measures that don't work
London has 10,000 crime-fighting CCTV cameras which cost £200 million, figures show today. An analysis of the publicly funded spy network, which is owned and controlled by local authorities and Transport for London, has cast doubt on its ability to help solve crime. In fact, four out of five of London boroughs with the most cameras have a record of solving crime that is below average. Submitted by DG.
Comment: Shooters could name a couple of programs with a high failure rate.
NCGC: Kids and guns - time for Commonwealth action
"I do not accept that recreational shooting is a legitimate passtime (sic) for young people! Using a weapon in such a fashion normalises it's destructive power, and ensures that people who do not "need" guns can easily access them. Personally, I feel that there is something wrong with a person who thinks that recreational shooting is a pleasant passtime (sic) - this is an object that was solely designed to kill people. Why would you want to be intimately aquainted with such a thing?"
UK: When a crime is not a crime
Sam McAlister was queuing in a coffee shop with her ten-month-old son when a woman grabbed the bag from the back of the pushchair as an accomplice distracted her. She confronted the thief in a nearby shop and was eventually reunited with her bag after a struggle. But when she went to a police station to report the crime, she was told by an officer behind the desk that it was not a crime because she had got the bag back.
Submitted by DG. Comment: Is this the next stage in the 'no self defence' drama awaiting Australia?
Hobart Mercury: Steady grip on prejudice
Members of the gun lobby have conducted their own research that contradicts some of these figures but they are not independent studies and cannot be taken as seriously.
Comment: By implication, research by the anti-gun lobby - mentioned in the article, though not by name - is independent and must be taken seriously. Careful Editor, your bias is showing.
A two-year police operation targeting gun owners has resulted in a large number of firearms being seized or surrendered. And 200 gun owners have either been charged or reported for offences ranging from incorrect storage to possessing unregistered firearms as part of Operation Secure. w38
Register to vote in this year's federal election!
With the phony election campaign in full full swing anyone who has changed their address or wishes to correct their electoral roll details must do so before the election is called to ensure that they are eligible to vote. There are new deadlines for enrolling to vote at federal elections. The electoral roll will be closed once the election is called.
NZ: Police investigate firearms licences
Southern District police are on the trail of 3000 expired firearms licences across the region. Operations manager Inspector Lane Todd said police had been concerned for some time about the large number of expired and unexplained licences in the Southern Police District, which covers the area from the Waitaki River south.
NSW: Stun gun and amphetamines found in car
Police attended the car park of a registered club on Pittwater Road, Dee Why, at 3.30 am yesterday following reports that there were a number of people acting suspiciously in the area. They searched the car and a 33-year-old man and found a stun gun and an amount of powder believed to be amphetamines. Police also recovered a handgun.
US: The anti-gun lobby misleads with false data
Recently, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (which should more accurately call itself the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership) issued a statement containing figures on the annual number of law enforcement deaths in America. Buried in their news release was this remarkably transparent canard: "More officers are killed with firearms than through any other single cause." We know that's false because the same news release provided readers with the evidence. Submitted by DG.
NZ: Police shooting victim had hands 'by his side'
Witnesses to the fatal police shooting in Christchurch claim the man had his hands by his side when he was shot. A police officer shot the 37-year-old North Island man on Stanmore Road in the suburb of Avonside last night. Police say the officer, who was on a routine patrol, feared for his life and gave a formal warning before firing.
Kangaroo shooting - kind to the planet
At the edge of a wheat field under a starry sky in northern NSW, a red Land Cruiser slows to a halt and the engine cuts out. Tony Maunder, dressed in a blue singlet, baseball cap, jeans and gumboots, pushes a lever to ease the windscreen forward until it lies flat on the bonnet.
UK: Air gun retailers must be registered with police
POLICE yesterday warned North Wales air gun traders to register as firearm dealers or face prosecution. Ian Okell, owner of Dragon Field Sports in Wrexham, said he was sent a consultation document outlining proposed changes to the law 18 months ago. He said “It was full of ridiculous suggestions, saying things like all gun shops must have blacked-out windows, as if we were porn shops.”
UK: Firearms squad needs a woman's touch
It may appear a macho profession, but Scotland Yard wants to bring the woman's touch to its firearms squad. Police chiefs believe that female officers with guns could have a calming effect on criminals. And to capitalise on that, the Met wants to recruit more female officers to the traditionally male-dominated CO19.
QLD: Criminals targeted gun store
Detective Senior Sergeant Mick Trezise, Officer in Charge of the Ipswich Criminal Investigation Branch said it was obvious a significant degree of planning had gone into the theft. "All avenues will be investigated, including links to organised crime," he said. Dealer Geoff Jones said Queensland's firearm laws made gun shops an attractive target for criminals.
Midway through a relay-training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the women's swim team wound down by firing off a few rounds at the Shooters Pistol Club.
"Everyone else was firing off these tiny guns that went 'ping ping'," the AIS's Simon Langford said. "But Libby pulled out this huge Flintlock replica and it just went 'crack'. The whole range shook. "She was quite a good shot." Submitted by PC (Qld)
UK: British declare war on illegal guns
Gordon Brown has declared war on gun crime, with police in four "hotspot" cities receiving handheld weapon scanners. The Prime Minister also said officers would be given portable computers to cut down on paperwork so they can spend more time on the beat. "We took the right decision to ban handguns, and now we need to deal with the illegal supply of guns. Comment: Maybe they should have gone after the illegal supply from the beginning.
QLD: Defence force arsenal stolen
Documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws show that an arsenal of high-powered weapons has gone missing from the Australian Defence Force. The weapons stolen include semi-automatic firearms and pump-action shotguns, self-loading pistols, distress flares, ammunition, laser sights and other equipment. Submitted by PC (Qld).
A number of firearms and cash were stolen after a gun dealer in Brisbane Street, West Ipswich was broken into. A number of firearms, rifles and shotguns have been stolen from a large safe and counter area of the store. The business was ransacked during the incident causing extensive damage to the shop and office areas and a sum of cash was stolen.
Tasmania intensifies war on the fox
Tasmania is intensifying its controversial war against an invisible yet potentially destructive foe - the European red fox. Officials in the state believe numbers are increasing and plan to spend up to $50m on an eradication campaign. Foxes could decimate ground-nesting birds and some native rodents. But sceptics insist the government has been hoodwinked by hoaxers bringing fox carcasses from the mainland.
Poll: Prime Minister driven by self interest and out of touch
Many voters believe Prime Minister John Howard is out of touch and driven by self interest. A Galaxy poll conducted at the weekend showed Mr Howard failed to win back voters after a week in which Labor suffered a range of problems, such as Mr Rudd's stumble over tax thresholds.
Most murder victims on drugs or drunk
A new study has found the majority of murder victims in Australia are under the influence of some kind of drug when they are killed. The study by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre has found substances were detected in 62 per cent of murder victims. About one third of victims had illicit drugs in their system and almost half had been drinking alcohol.
World Cup hero's double life as a bodyguard to the stars
Thea Slatyer might be a rising football star after the Matildas' historic performance in China but the statuesque defender pays her rent by working as a minder to the stars when they visit Sydney. Slatyer, 24, who holds a firearms licence and is a martial-arts expert, has kept close check on Russell Crowe, American actress Mischa Barton and Australian models Elle Macpherson and Megan Gale.
QLD: Police recover drugs, firearms and stolen property
A five-day police operation in southeast Queensland has led to the arrest of 86 people on drug, firearms and fraud charges. Stolen property was also recovered in the raids, along with ecstasy tablets and more than 100 cannabis plants. w39.
Mulwala to up propellant production to 530 tonnes a year
The Commonwealth is expanding the production of propellants at the plant to 530 tonnes a year, a fifty per cent increase. The expansion is part of a $260 million modernisation of the site. The Federal Member for Murray, Sharman Stone, says it means the facility will be able to supply the Defence Force as well as other customers. "The ADI there will become more commercially viable because it's able to sell excess over what the Australian Defence Forces buy and that's going to mean more exports for them, more sales to keep them in business," she said.
UK: Sister killed with illegal handgun
A teenager has admitted the manslaughter of his 12-year-old sister who was shot in the head at their family home in Greater Manchester. Kasha Peniston, 17, admitted accident-ally killing Kamilah Peniston last April, in a hearing at Manchester Crown Court. The gun was illegally owned by their mother Natasha who had buried the .38 snub-nosed revolver in the garden.
Comment: Another stunning example of the success of the UK's handgun ban!
Would banning guns reduce murder and suicide?
The question is posed by Don B. Kates and Gary Mauser in the Spring 2007 Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. Kates is an American criminologist, lawyer and constitutional scholar. Mauser is a Canadian criminologist and university professor. Both are published authors of numerous articles and books. Both are well recognized as top experts in their fields. You don’t earn their reputations in academic and legal circles by being demonstrably wrong, so people on both sides of the gun control debate would do well to consider their findings.
QLD: Woman charged over drugs, illegal guns
A WOMAN has been charged with drugs and firearms offences after police last night searched her north Queensland home. The 24-year-old was charged with three drug-related offences and unlawful possession of a weapon.
TAS: Greens rail at changes to age limit
The Greens today responded to the release of the Joint Standing Committee on Community Development Committee’s report into aspects of Tasmania’s gun control legislation by saying that they appear to be the only Party that still has a commitment to all aspects of the 1996 all-party agreement that brought about the current firearms act. The Greens Tim Morris MHA said that both he and Terry Martin MLC were the only ones to vote against the recommendation to lower the age limit for minors.
Live ammo used in army training mix-up
Labor defence spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon says the Government's security credentials have taken another blow with reports of an ammunition mix-up at a Hunter Valley Army base. A News Limited report today claims that an army training platoon faced live bullets instead of blanks during an exercise at the Singleton School of Infantry in March last year.
VIC: Officer charged with armed robbery
A suspended Victorian police officer has been charged over an armed robbery in Melbourne's eastern suburbs. The 35-year-old man was arrested yesterday (October 1) following a hold-up at a milk bar in Mont Albert North on Saturday.
UK: Ministers accused of gun crime cover-up
THE government was accused yesterday of covering up the full extent of the gun crime epidemic sweeping Britain, after official figures showed that gun-related killings and injuries had risen more than fourfold since 1998. The Home Office figures show gun attacks in England and Wales soared from 864 in 1998-99 to 3,821 in 2005-06.
Comment: Here's a flash - Criminals don't obey the law!
UN: New push for gun control treaty
Australia, Britain, Japan and others are pushing for an unprecedented treaty regulating the arms trade worldwide, in a campaign sure to last years and to pit them against a determined American foe, the NRA. U.N. officials say there is an "overwhelming" need for such a treaty and almost 100 governments have submitted ideas.
Canada: Founder of National Firearms Association remembered
NSW: If gun bans don't work, we can always ban cash
PUBS will become largely cash-free under a radical plan by the Australian Hotels Association to counter the spate of armed robberies in Sydney hotels. The AHA is negotiating with credit card giant American Express to develop a system, including lifting the surcharge on card usage. The cashless transactions would include paying for food and beverages with credit cards.
The police provide some protection by their presence as they patrol our communities, and also by catching criminals after they've harmed us. Both are significant deterrents, but when an undeterred assailant goes after us, we're on our own. We can't have a police officer at our elbows at all times...because cops don't materialize like spirits. w40.
NZ: Self defence laws must be changed
New Zealand First law & order spokesperson Ron Mark today called for New Zealand’s self-defence laws to be re-defined after questioning the sentence given to a victim who defended himself against a gang of thugs. “What are the different circumstances for Greg Carvell, Daniel Ball, Shyan Ricky Hill and the police officers who responded with lethal force against Stephen Wallace and Stephen Bellingham?” asked Mr Mark.
UK: Been shot at? Walk in another park police say
A grandmother who was shot at by youths in her local park was told by police that she should walk her dog somewhere else in future, she claimed yesterday. Retired vicar's wife Ann Laycock had been exercising her Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Suzi, near a group of children - one as young as seven - when one pointed a handgun at her and pulled the trigger. Comment: When guns are outlawed, only kids will have guns.
UK: Gangs in gun battle on Manchester streets
Police are investigating after two gangs of youths fought a gun battle on the streets of Manchester. Officers found 10 bullet casings on the ground, gunshot damage to a car and one bullet lodged in a fence, after the exchange of fire between the rival groups. Shortly after 8am yesterday, police also received a report of damage caused to a Vauxhall Corsa in Maine Road, around the corner from Holywood Street.
Comment: Gives new meaning to the old saw about outlaws and gun bans.
US shooting reveals Australian anti-gun fringe
The International Coalition for Women in Shooting and Hunting (WiSH) has dismissed calls by fringe elements of the anti-gun lobby for more gun bans in Australia following the saddening SuccessTech Academy shootings in the United States. WiSH Chair Dr Samara McPhedran said “As always, there are extremists within Australia whose instant response to a shooting in the US is a confused demand for still more gun bans in Australia.”
UN: Activists call for arms trade treaty
Former U.N. military commanders, pressure groups and diplomats urged the United Nations on Tuesday to pass more stringent controls on the global arms trade. At a news conference organized by aid group Oxfam International, they called for a framework to prevent arms transfers in cases where they are likely to be used in violation of international law, to fuel conflict or undermine development.
Vic: Corrupt police have 'extensive influence'
A report tabled in the Victorian Parliament today says there is sound basis for concern about corruption within Victoria Police. The Director of the Office of Police Integrity (OPI), George Brouwer, has used the annual report to warn that small cells or syndicates of corrupt members are operating within Victoria Police.
Related: Deputy Police Commissioner says corruption findings 'not surprising'.
"...It's just good to be out here."
Soccer practice had been cancelled. With a rare couple of hours to spare, Lou Reda of Whitehall took his only son Louie, then 9, along on a turkey hunt. "We found some feathers, but no turkeys," said Reda. "After a while, he looked up at me and said, 'Dad, it doesn't matter if we don't get anything. It's just good to be out here.'
"I was so proud," said the elder Reda. "I said, 'You get it. That's what being a hunter is all about.' " Submitted by DG.
Banning firearms would not improve safety
Large numbers of people in this country believe that eliminating guns would make things safer. Belief is an amazing thing. (But) a new study by professors Don Kates and Gary Mauser, “Would banning firearms reduce murder and suicide?,” shows that gun proliferation and ease of access have little to do with increasing total murder and suicide rates. The study focused on industrialized European countries; Luxembourg had the lowest gun ownership rates but five times the murder rate of the other countries. Russia has very low gun ownership rates, yet had 10 times the murder rates. Related story
NT: Officer's 'conscious decision' to shoot Aboriginal youth'
A coronial inquest into the death of Robert Jongmin, shot by NT Police Officer Robert Whittington, heard the incident happened after several hundred people gathered at the Wadeye community oval for a series of one-on-one fist fights between warring gang members, supervised by police. The dispute became more volatile when a teenager, Tobias Worumbu, emerged from a house waving a rifle in the air. Related story
The protection racket we call government
Our governments follow the historic lead of all authorities that equate state monopoly on force with civilization. Show me a person who finds self-defence uncivilized, and I'll show you a friend of the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Shooting Times "Book of the Winchester Models 70 & 94"
Shooting Times has just released its Book of the Winchester Models 70 & 94, which promises to be a must-have for collectors and fans of those venerable icons of firearms heritage. The 138-page all-color magazine is filled with articles ranging from original gun reviews from the 1960s right up to current tips and techniques for shooting them. w41