Fortunately, Senator (emporer) Lyonenhljom's term, self imposed (delusional) importance and puerile prognostications, will end in three years?

We agree on little save singing from the same hymn sheet on firearms restrictions?
Alan B.

"Don't expect to see much progress on repairing the budget, controlling spending or reducing taxes. But then, on these matters, not many of the pundits seem to care."
Hey David, have you considered that this is because the public know something you don't?

Considering that our credit limit is infinite (because we own the RBA), "budget repair" while the private sector is weak is grossly irresponsible. Right now we need stimulus instead.

"Controlling spending" may sound good, but in practice it results in false economies as people pursue spending targets instead of trying to get value for money. Also you seem to have failed to realise that Australians want the government to provide better services.

As for cutting taxes, it would be better if you (like most of the rest of the population) regarded it as one of many competing objectives, not the be all and end all. But if you must dogmatically focus on cutting taxes, at least do it fairly: focus on the GST (which we'd all benefit from the abolition of) rather than supporting tax cuts aimed at rich people and overseas shareholders.

The Senator for Guns?

Re where Leyno says:

"just last month the government reneged on a written deal with me to stick to John Howard's list of banned firearms rather than extend the ban to a firearm that is already widely available."

Leyno is referring to his main policy interest, which is apparently not health, education or welfare, but guns, Second Amendment of another country's Constitution *

The gun in question is the lever action Adler A110 "shotgun" This is a semi-automatic weapon - so should be banned. But because it fires shotgun cartridge contents (making it technically a "shotgun") it can evade the semi-auto ban.

See the repeat of Port Arthur fears http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/flood-of-adler-a110-model-shotguns-into-victoria-prompts-calls-for-ban/news-story/fc6da04c3d517bd57695ad2404dfd648

Here's the Adlers, lever action http://www.safarifirearms.com.au/adler-a110-12-gauge-lever-action-shotgun-2.html

The Adler easy reload shotgun can kill alot of ducks and unfortunately... people, which is a risk to Australia's low gun-death society.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

We haven't had a government for nearly 4 months (since the 8th of May)

Or should it be said, we haven't had a political party in control of the country for nearly 4 months (since the 8th of May)

The country is in a very bad state because of political parties, and the country will likely fail because of political parties.

But we have survived for nearly 4 months without political parties.

I thinks the country does not need political parties.

Time to think outside of the box of political parties.

A gun is just a piece of inanimate metal and wood!

And we have no real capacity to actually prevent the criminal element getting their hands on lethal weapons, replete with a preferred actio or calibre.

Guns don't kill, just the nut aiming one and pulling the trigger!

Sensible amendments would allow the private citizen the right to acquire automatic shotguns?

Always providing the licence needed, would be so marked (like spectacles on your driver's licence) as to allow only the purchase of non lethal bean bag ammunition! For which a current shooters licence would need to be presented to acquire!

And ought to be allowable as personal protection! Nobody ought to be placed in the invidious position of risking their own wellbeing or safety, or that of a protective family member/pet at the hands of an armed intruder, or shooting first and asking questions later?

That said, armed intruders, drug addicts etc, don't give a rats if a sleeping female is stabbed, brutalized or raped; or if an elderly veteran is clubbed senseless/within an inch of his/her life, so his/her car, portable valuables or medals can be stolen then pawned for a fraction of their value!?

Crimes, proactive home invasions, stabbings and clubbing only require seconds, whereas reactionary police response times can be minutes, or longer on weekends or holidays, when the thin blue line, may be mostly occupied with traffic duty/revenue raising?

And the break in merchants are aware of this and seem to be most active weekends and holidays, with clever tricks that are designed to defeat your security, such as load and persistent knocking or just turning your power off at an easily accessible meter box!

Bean bag ammo fired at the belly from a few feet won't kill, but seriously inconvenience an unwelcome uninvited nocturnal visitor! Even one driven insane by an all too common and prevalent ice addiction!

And only stoppable by rapidly repeated belly button bombardment. Take away the option of fully automatic twenty round autos, and all that's left is regular actions, lethal ammunition and possibly fatal consequences!
Alan B.

plantagenet, "The Senator for Guns?"

A rather obvious 'poisoned-well' fallacy, combined with dog whistling.

Regarding your misleading description of the firearm as a 'semi-automatic', it is no such thing.

The design is pre-1900, single-shot, lever action.

That was before John Wayne was born. The 'new' shotgun has a clunker action that would have been put to shame by lever action rifles made prior to 1900 that featured in B&W movies decades before many here were a twinkle in their Old Man's eye.

Chuck Connors of 'The Rifleman' cowboy series would have laughed at anyone who came to the gunfight with a modern(sic) Adler. Connors died a quarter of a century ago.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1145

As for your inference (inverted commas) that it might not be a shotgun but something more sinister, a rifle?, Chuck Connors had better, but so did John Wayne.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1079

It is so disappointing that the LibLab party was returned to power and again with absolute majority.

The only good thing coming out of these elections is that the increased "crossbench" may now force them to reveal the truth and admit that they were always one and the same. As we now read in the news, this LibLab party is financed by the Chinese Communist party.

The one thing you can rely on with Leyonhelm is his consistency. He has a particular ideological stance and is true to it regardless of whether it is likely to get good press or bad. He believes in freedom and limited government. That includes the right for people to have the means to protect themselves. It means lower taxes and less government services. He is the only politician I know who does not change his mind in response to the latest moral panic. We need more like him in the parliament.

Senator for Guns 2

A Low Taxes and More Guns platform is keeping this Politician overfed.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-10/decision-on-adler-shotgun-ban-still-under-review/7311912

"A decision on the fate of the controversial Adler A110 lever-action shotgun has been delayed and may no longer be handed down before a temporary ban on its importation expires.

...Ms Loughton lost her 15-year-old daughter Sarah in the Broad Arrow Cafe at Port Arthur on April 28, 1996, and was terribly injured herself.

She still requires surgery 20 years later from a bullet wound to the shoulder."

Plantagenet,

"The gun in question is the lever action Adler A110 "shotgun" This is a semi-automatic weapon - so should be banned. But because it fires shotgun cartridge contents (making it technically a "shotgun") it can evade the semi-auto ban."

You've gotta be joking!

The Adler is but one of a number of lever action shotguns that are currently available and the type has never found much favour with shooters since first imported in the late 1890s.
Back in the 1960s good condition examples could be picked up very cheaply as no one really wanted them.
The Adler's current popularity can be traced directly to the anti factions, particularly the Greens, who gave it free publicity that the design doesn't deserve.

Regarding rate of fire, I'll back myself to fire 20 shots from my double barrel shotgun before anyone can fire the same number from an Adler.
I'll even back myself to fire five shots faster than someone with a five shot Adler if both shooters commence loading at the same time.

plantagenet,

"...Ms Loughton lost her 15-year-old daughter Sarah in the Broad Arrow Cafe at Port Arthur on April 28, 1996, and was terribly injured herself."

and Ms. Loughton is one of the ones that boosted the Adler's sales by her ill thought out appeals to prejudice in her on-line petition.

So is it the Victims of gun crimes who are at fault because they should have ducked the bullets?

plantagenet,

You read what I said but you didn't grasp the meaning; suppose that you can be forgiven as you seem to think that a repeating shotgun is an "automatic".