A thought.

Since more guns will be bought in Tucson, to keep everyone safe from there being more guns in Tucson, I am just wondering why, given Arizonians are armed to the gunwales (literally so it seems) how come no one shot this 'lone gunman?

You'd think there would have been pocket pump-action shot guns, handbag guns, hip born guns, the occasional passing car with a RPG device, all sorts of guns in and around that crowd, yet none thought to 'defend' themsleves and those around them and shoot the bastard.

What are they all carrying guns for, for defence, when they don't even think to use them when under attack?

Hell, a shot in the back would have done him in, or isn't that sporting?

So much for 'guns keeping us safe', they didn't even have the wit to use them when they could, to try to prevent the extent of his rampage.

And what an excellent thought that was TBC!

We could go further and question how ALL the recent mass gun shootings in the USA managed to happen on such a scale if all the onlookers and their dogs should have been 'armed to the teeth', because "...Being armed is the natural state of man..." in a free democratic society
like the US of A.

Having such lax gun laws has certainly not decreased the number of gun-related deaths in a country that demands a 'right' to arm themselves to keep themselves safe.

Lexi,

Dr Chapman is a anti-gun advocate whose zeal surpasses his objectivity. Don Weatherburn, the head of the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, disagreed with Chapman, saying that falls in armed robberies and abductions in NSW had more to do with the heroin drought and good policing than firearms legislation. Declines in the homicide rate began long before Howard's 'initiatives'.

Nationwide, the proportion of robberies involving weapons is the same as it was in 1996, while the proportion of abductions involving weapons is higher, the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics fiures reveal. They show a mixed result in firearms-related offences since the mid-1990s.

"I would need to see more convincing evidence than there is to be able to say that gun laws have had any effect," Dr Weatherburn said.
"There has been a drop in firearm-related crime, particularly in homicide, but it began long before the new laws and has continued on afterwards."

Think for yourself, if John Howard's buy-back and laws had worked there would be a noticeable drop in gun crime (and Howard would have fallen over his own feet getting to the media to claim a result), but no, the traditional low rate of gun crime in Australia has continued along with the tapering off recorded before Howard.

Of course it should be obvious that restrictive laws against legitimate ownership and use do nothing to stop gun crime because only law-abiding citizens will obey laws.

Policy must be based on evidence not on blind faith and prejudice, and it must have rigorous measures built in from the start to ensure the policy delivers the desired results.

Cornflower, the evidence is quite clear.

Gun thefts have dropped by two thirds for instance, since the
new laws.

Assault weapons as used by Martin Bryant, were also removed
from the community and can no longer be bought,as before.

Qld and Tassie used to have pretty slack gun laws. That made
it more difficult for sensible states like WA.

IIRC the gun byback was paid for by a 1% tax levy. So no funding
was taken from other sources.

The gun buyback and tightening up of gun laws, was supported by
far the majority of the Australian community. That is democracy
for you. Your gun lobby will just have to wear it, no matter how
many times its spat the dummy over this.

Yabby,

According to Australian Institute of Criminology, 6 in 10,000 guns used in crimes are stolen. The common sources of stolen guns are security services and police, not private individuals.

In fact it is believed that a whole shipment of guns for the NSW police went missing (were 'diverted') from the wharf.

Queensland
"2024 MR FOLEY ASKED THE MINISTER FOR POLICE, CORRECTIVE SERVICES AND EMERGENCY SERVICES (MR ROBERTS)?

With reference to handguns and knives used in crimes in Queensland for the last financial year?
(1) How many handguns were found to be owned by identifiable, registered gun owners?
(2) How many knives were used in crimes during the same period?

ANSWER:
Blah, blah, blah about the Bligh Government supports the national legislative framework and so on. Blah, blah blah, the Qld policy gun registry system needs to be upgraded (the long-suffering, under-resourced Weapons Branch is well behind in processing permits)[my addition in brackets] Blah, blah, blah, blah and more blah.

With specific reference to part (1) of the member’s question, I am advised it is not possible for the Queensland Police Service to provide all the information requested due to the limitations of the Service’s current computer Weapons Licensing System (WLS)."

...As a prominent licensed Dealer put it, since there are no figures available on how many privately owned handguns were found to be involved in crimes, it's pretty safe to assume that there were none.

Rather than bothering the boring old clay pigeon shooter with his 'under and over' scattergun, the OLO gun control experts should be concerning themselves about these fellows who were totally unaffected by Howard's laws (funny that),

"Bikies, Triads, Officials linked in Drug Smuggling Ring

One of the nation's biggest investigations into organised crime has exposed an international drug importation syndicate with links to the Comancheros outlaw bikie gang, Chinese triads and corrupt Australian officials.

Operation Hoffman, a landmark multi-agency investigation led by the Australian Crime Commission, has also revealed the deep links between drug importers and rogue Australian maritime workers......"

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/08/30/2996666.htm

Yes Cornflower, we do have nasty criminals out there who do illegally own guns, and yet it is not these guys in the main, who are doing the mass shootings in the US is it?
No, the last mass shooting was done by a gun owned legally by the murderer.

And then the American Gun Lobby in that same city decide to have a 'gun show' a week later.

Yes indeed, that lot are normal, law abiding, caring citizens who also just happen to like killing real or imagined living things with guns!

I found this comment on Wikipedia today:
"Several massacres occurred in Australia leading up to firearms licensing laws in 1996 after the Port Arthur massacre, one of the deadliest lone wolf massacres in history. Most major gun massacres in Australia occurred before 1996."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_mass_murders

I have come to the conclusion though that no amount of real statistics or dead gun shot victims will change the minds of big boys who still like to play with loud toys.