Criminals perform criminal acts.

Why punish the law abiding?

It would be helpful, to all concerned, if posters when making assertions would post a reference.

Hi Is Mise

A good instruction.

Here's a start - since 9/11 there have only been a handful of deaths due to terrorism in the US. However in one year alone - 2010 http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/TUTORIAL/GUNS/GUNSTAT.html :

"...there were 31,513 deaths from firearms, distributed as follows by mode of death: Suicide 19,308; Homicide 11,015; Accident 600. This makes firearms injuries one of the top ten causes of death in the U.S."

But we got rarghts to execute and then git a stamp of legal approval. In that rarght Rhrosty?

We don't need more guns in practice, but ownership of guns for self-defence should not be illegal, so that criminals will never know where and when one of those few guns that ARE around in the community is going to be pointed back at them.

<<It is also appropriate Australians living in our capital and regional cities and our towns - feel safe in the knowledge their Government is doing everything it can to protect them in their communities by permanently disqualifying unfit Australians from legally accessing firearms for any purpose.>>

Yes, but "everything it can" is not reassuring - who can feel safe as a result when we already know that it's close to nothing?!

"We're now seeing a concerted effort by the Abbott Government to use events including the Sydney siege, and the recent events in France as justifications for new and amended legislation"

We're now seeing a concerted effort by the Greens and at least one Democrat to use events including the Sydney siege, and the recent events in France as justifications for new legislation.

We are even seeing the Greens lying about it, to their supposed advantage.
"SYDNEY SIEGE SHOWS TOUGHER GUN LAWS NEEDED NOW

Thursday, Dec 18th, 2014
Today's revelation that the gunman at the Sydney siege had a gun licence must lead to tougher gun laws across the country.

NSW Police Commissioner Scipione must immediately explain how a man charged with such serious violent offences retained a gun licence with the NSW Police Firearms Registry...."

This wild allegation was cleared up, two hours plus before the Greens posted it on their website, by the AFP who admitted that they had made a mistake and had wrongly advised the Prime Minister.
Yet it is still, 29 days later) on their site.

Charity leads me to think that they are just being their normal incompetent selves.
http://nsw.greens.org.au/news/nsw/sydney-siege-shows-tougher-gun-laws-needed-now

One wonders when David Sandalplank will have the courage and the courtesy to apologize to the Commissioner and to the NSW Police.

God it's a worry.

I thought the Democrats had gone back down the garden path with the rest of the fairies.

It's a real worry that some people may still think they are of some use to the community.