Lacessit

Gun deaths in Australia are about 0.9 per 100,000 population. In the US, it is 4.5. Five times as high. The US Virgin Islands tops the table at 32. Singapore is a distant last with 0.003. You can rationalise all you want. The fact is you live in a violent society, and Australia and other countries demonstrate it is self-inflicted.

Please explain the difference to me between liking guns, and liking drugs. They are both addictions. Using your logic, everybody should have a right to drugs as well. What kills more in America, guns or drugs? The self defense argument is BS. I have never needed a gun for defense in Australia, and it's far more likely you will be killed in your home if you are toting a gun, than if you don't have one.

Perhaps Americans need a God who will tell them to repeal the Second Amendment. Given 50% of Americans still believe in angels, it's an even chance.

Noted you declined to respond to my question. What is especially sickening is the politicians who take NRA donations to support their campaigns, then offer their "thoughts and prayers" to the bereaved. <deleted> hypocrites.

IIRC there was a technical flaw in the finale of "The Last of the Mohicans" when the hero reloaded his rifle, with nary a ramrod to be seen.

I have had colonoscopies regularly every five years. If the OP has any family member - even cousins - with a history of polyps or bowel cancer, he should get it done. If he has never had one, a check could be useful in finding other problems, such as diverticulitis. Doctors don't recommend procedures for fun. They do it because knowledge is better than ignorance, when it comes to health. The sedation is usually quite light, patients don't remember anything. The most inconvenient part is the bowel preparation, although that has improved since my first time. Bum guns beat toilet paper hands down.

There has been a 12% increase in crime, type unspecified. According to Google, New Zealand is quite low on the crime list, generally regarded as one of the safest countries. Please post a link to support your claim there has been a huge increase in gun crime in New Zealand.

Yes, and when they get caught, it's 2-10 years in jail just for possessing a firearm. If you think the solution is more guns, you're as dumb as the Americans.

Really. After Australia banned semi-automatic weapons, there have been only 3 gun massacres since 2000. It's a bit difficult to make progress when one only has a bolt action rifle. Stephen Paddock accounted for 60 dead and over 300 wounded. Australian has a lot of the problems America has, look over there is a two-edged sword. Depressingly, you are right. Americans are addicted to a gun culture. They will keep killing innocents and children,until someone comes along who is strong enough to take their guns away. While I don't like John Howard, IMO it is his best legacy. Tell me, as a gun owner, when there is a gun massacre, do you join in offering your thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims?

The Founding Fathers could not foresee muskets would be replaced by semi-automatic weapons. The Second Amendment is treated as something holy by many Americans. The Eighteenth Amendment ( Prohibition ) was removed by the Twenty-First Amendment. That's what sensible people do with amendments when it is clear they are no longer fit for purpose. In Australia, a firearm license application is 40 pages long. That tends to filter out the crazies. The penalty for possessing a firearm without a permit is 10 years in jail. Despite NRA propaganda, it is quite legal to own a long gun in Australia. Semi-automatics have been banned since Port Arthur in 1996. Handgun ownership is severely restricted. I suppose it is just a coincidence Australia averages one mass shooting per year since 2000, whereas America had 630 in 2023. Almost two a day. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41488081

In Australia, what is thought to be the first school shooting in the nation's history occurred recently. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-68432923 In 2023, America had 340 school shooting incidents. https://www.k12dive.com/news/2023-total-school-mass-shootings/703007/ School shootings in America have nothing to do with criminals and terrorists knowing they are vulnerable, and everything to do with the easy access to firearms. Most commonly, it is disgruntled and mentally disturbed students and ex-students who commit school shootings. https://shura.shu.ac.uk/12138/3/whitfield - Characteristics of school shooting incidents.pdf Einstein was quite correct about the infinity of human stupidity. Your post embodies it.

I'm here because I have a much better standard of living than I would in Australia. If I was to win a large lottery, I would still be here, although I might move around Asia a bit more. I would have no interest in going back to Australia even if I was rich. Too many nanny-state rules, fat women, boring.

That was the original purpose, the Founding Fathers envisaged muskets against a tyrannical government. I doubt they could foresee semi-automatics. It's actually quite futile, considering a government could whistle up Abrams tanks, attack helicopters, and drones to deal with any situation. It's like Linus with a security blanket, but I don't know if Linus ever grew up.

OP, serves you right for watching Sky News.

Your post has a logical flaw. Sure, keep guns away from mentally disturbed people. What do you do when someone who owns firearms develops a mental illness? What do you do when a sociopath successfully conceals their condition to obtain a firearm? IMO victims of a semi-automatic are not going to be grateful it was not a full automatic. Americans are full of BS excuses for owning guns, most of them absurd when closely examined. Face it, the only valid reason for owning them is because you like them.

Nuclear is tough, MOAB's are easier.

I'm relieved to hear this, there is no chance of an insurrection on January 6, 2025.

I have stated my position on the gun culture in America, don't need to restate it. An average of one mass shooting event per year in Australia, against dozens in America every year, is enough fact-based evidence for sensible people. There is one point in your post which amuses me. Using semi-automatic weapons for hunting. I have been out at night with professional shooters. They are after rabbits, pigs, and kangaroos commercially. It's their living. They are very cost-conscious when it comes to ammunition, frequently using only a 0.22 or 0.22 magnum. Everything is head shot, anything else spoils the meat and may cause it to be rejected. They would regard anyone needing a semi-automatic for hunting as an incompetent butcher.

If people from other countries come here, they should expect to obey the laws of Australia. If they can't, they are not useful members of a multicultural society. Racism is the dog whistle used to enjoin against sending them back to wherever they come from. I am in Thailand. I fully expect to be deported if I was to break the law here. Explain to me why it should be any different in Australia.

Sick people will kill far less children if they do not have semi-automatic weapons available. There are plenty of people who drive sensibly. Speed limits are there for the ones who can't. I understand there has only been one school shooting in Australia ( actually a university ) which resulted in 3 deaths. One, since Federation. 340 in the US in 2023. Spitting the dummy and putting me on your ignore list simply demonstrates how pathetic your defense of the indefensible is.

Every time there is a mass shooting, particularly at a school, gun sales skyrocket. What has that done to solve the problem of mass shootings? Why are semi-automatic weapons still available in America, when their only purpose is to kill multiple people as quickly and efficiently as possible? Would a serious hunter use one for game? Why is a weapon bought for protection far more likely to inadvertently kill children playing with unsecured weapons, or be the instrument of choice in a suicide? If a weapon is securely stored, what use is it for protection? Do you think home invaders will politely wait while you retrieve it? I'm just wondering when the Second Amendment will stop killing American children.

No. Not necessary in places like Condobolin or Cobar. Or Broken Hill. The trouble spots usually have high Aboriginal components, and alcohol/drug related violence. Their populations tend to congregate around permanent water sources. To me, even those places are far less risky than some of the places I have been through, such as Soweto, the Thames embankment, Philadelphia projects, and Detroit. IMO one is far more likely to get into trouble carrying a gun, than being without one. I am not an experienced bushman, just someone who enjoys the outback life. Simpler, no time pressure. There is too much light around cities for the heavens to be appreciated. Get into outback Australia on a clear night, it shows how insignificant we are.

Utter BS. With the exception of places such as Wilcannia, Alice Springs and Bourke, most Australian country towns are as safe as houses. There's that leftist label again, we have had Labor governments since Federation. They are the ones usually introducing reforms. Somewhat ironic the ban on semi-automatic weapons was brought in by a Liberal Prime Minister.

My favorite holiday for many years. Kangaroos can control their gestation cycle, putting embryos into dormancy in times of drought. Their populations explode when there is heavy rain to bring up fresh feed. I learned a lot of things in outback Australia most city slickers never get to know.

I thought it was the other way around, Putin took over the commies. I remember Consohocken, agree food was good.