Quite one sided thruth be known the money spent on the buy back would have saved more lives if spent in our hospital system, health, medical research, even the good old stop smoking campaign would have netted more "lives saved"
Does the fear of a gun outweigh the fear of being futher injured by our well underfunded medical system ??

Gun crime was falling well before the 1996 quoting facts from an 18 year period and then from a six year after 1996 and then saying gun deaths "HALVED" gives the impression that at that single point in 1996 was the direct cause of the drop in firearm deaths which of course is completely false. Futher research from readers about facts presented here shows how twisted this article is even when suicide victims have access to a firearm they don't use it why??

If you read it again, you may find they are using gun related crime as against gun related crime, thats where their getting their figures from. If they calculated it over all homicides, its very different.

“In the seven years after new gun laws were announced (1997-2003), the yearly average almost halved, to 331. “

In the 7 years after new gun laws, road deaths averaged more than 2000 a year, more than 300000 injured and more than 50000 seriously injured and permanently maimed. Lets ban cars with wheels, that way we'll reduce the problem.

Gun related deaths were decreasing because we have been evolving as a society and we are more secure in our lives using other methods to resolve problems. Emotion and crime related death and injury, will occur no matter what you do, thats the nature of the beast. We have to ensure we discourage those who wish to harm others, by having real deterrents. If you use a weapon for a crime 20 years minimum no parole. Murder someone during a crime, good bye for ever. You could offer them the choice of euthanasia if they didn't want to spend their lives locked in a cell.

Violent crime is on the increase as are home invasions, you should have the means and right to defend your home and loved ones. Currently you are advised to submit or you may be charged. How really bizarre is that and we think we're not slaves to a system that supports crime in all its aspects and disarms the people in every way, so they have no protection.

Disarming and suppressing the people has been done before, but it led to revolutions when the people got tired of being murdered, ripped of and suppressed by the elite ruling class.

I never thought I say this, but I'm with you on this one Leigh, 100%.

It's all a lot of cobblers.Many just traded in their old guns at inflated prices and bought new and more expensive ones.If you want a gun ,just buy a Chinese import,the criminals don't seem to be short of them.Australia has never been a gun toting culture like the yanks,and the whole exercise after Martin Bryant was a waste of tax payers money.

Anyone with a machine workshop can manufacture any available weapon or bullets,but it is far cheaper to slip them into any one of our containers of which 95% are not searched.

Wow! I never thought I'd say this either, but I too am with Leigh 100%!

Two points: -

1. If people (law-abiding or not) want/need to purchase a rifle, it'll be easier for them to turn to the blackmarket. One of the major problems with this is that, if you are purchasing from the blackmarket, why stop at a semi-automatic when you can aquire an automatic? Most of the people we should be fearing with guns already have the connections they need to purchase one illegally.

2. If Australia is attacked, we have no malitia. Remember, it was only because of the malitia that the US was able to defeat Britain for their independence. What are WE going to do? Sit on our porch with a sling-shot?

Our infantry is too small to defend such a broad land and the US would take a few days to get here by ship. But we can only rely on them if defending us is in their interests. If China tried to overtake Australia, do you honestly think that the US is going to destroy their entire economy and wealthy way-of-life just to defend such a small trade partner (and butt-kissing friend)? I have my doubts.

Now none of this is likely to happen in our life-time but it's still not a comforting thought.

A side-note: An uncle of mine still has his semi-automatic because it was never registered. Whenever I visit his farm I enjoy firing it in defiance of an oppressive government that I hate with such passion.

...and yes, by Western standards, the "Liberal" party IS an oppressive party (before some elitist, smart-alec Young Liberal tries to correct me).

Not one person in this argument has addressed the simple question, "What purpose has the presence firearms in our society served the good of mankind"

Individuals have used guns to protect their loved ones from immenant danger, families have used guns to preserve their livelyhoods from introduced pest species, nations have used guns to preserve freedom for all of their citizens.

I travel many hundreds of kilometers in my work and use a gun to prevent pain & suffering of numerous animals with broken legs or broken backs after being struck by vehicles and in many cases, would die a slow and lingering death over many days. Beating with a stick is NOT an option, but I spend many hundreds of dollars in license fees & charges to do what is right.

To the antigunners I ask you to honestly anwer this question, faced with having been punched in the face, your arm broken by a baseball bat, your throat about to be cut from ear to ear; are you going to tell the nearest policeman to put his gun away because you REALLY don't believe in "gun voilence"?.

If any government can't protect you, your family, your friends and loved ones 24/7 they have absolutely no right to deny you the means to protect yourself.