Well the media and the gun control lobby copped a blasting today about the two Olympic swimmers having their pic taken, holding guns, in a US gunshop. Deservedly so, it was a complete beat up and the blokes did nothing wrong at all, Pics are taken of thousands of tourists having their pic taken to show what can be bought in the US.

Why should they not post it on their facebook page, to show their friends.

From the articles and the comments of the anti gun groups, one would think that guns are offensive to look at. Call them boys toys, but most blokes will admire the quality of workmanship that goes into the making of good quality sporting guns and rifles. Should a little girl run to mother if she sees a rifle in a gun cabinet?

If the blokes put up a pic of them in a Farrari would that indicate they were advocating to drive at 200mph. No they can simply admire the machine, and show their mates.

By the way, we have a 17 strong shooting team in these next olympics, I hope they do well. Wonder if they will pose with their guns and cause an uproar. Remember Micheal Diamond, great stuff

It's ridiculous. In Australia, if you own a gun and/or enjoy shooting/hunting you are a potential mass murderer. The immaturity of this train of thought is embarrassing.

Also, I'm waiting for the anti-gun lobby to come up with effective forms of pest control seeing they have issues with culling and eradication using firearms and hunting.

StG,
As Nino Culotta said, They're a weird mob.

Apparently rural industry ... which keeps us all alive ... isn't as important as the demise of pigs, and if you own tools to aid that rural industry in keeping us all fed there is something wrong with you.

Tell me how that makes sense?

The Sports Minister again making a fool out of herself by condemning these guys actions. What a joke.

runner,
Missed that can you post a link please.

See that swimming body comes out against the 'over reaction' and says the blokes only need a warning. Which I think is still over the top.

Saw a pic today of Winston Churchill holding a Thompson sub machine gun, guess he is a bad example for kids to follow.

Banjo

'runner,
Missed that can you post a link please.' I heard her on the ABC news condemning the action of the swimmers. Was quite pathetic.

Heard on news tonight that the AOC has punished the two by making them come home directly after their events, missing the closing ceremony. a couple of other minor punishments as well. Supported by Swimming Australia.

It is ridiculous, the blokes have done nothing wrong. How can a pic of the boys holding guns bring the sport into disrepute? For Gods sake, we have a 17 person shooting team going!

What if they had gone to a reptile park and had a pic taken holding a couple of snakes and posted that on facebook?

This has ruined my hight, I was just ready to sit and watch the footy and now am simply flabbergasted and angry.

I it were me I would tell them to stick the Olympics.

I will definately protest to the AOC and contact media. Trust there will be a public outcry as there was the last day or so.

I hope other Olympians will hold some sort of protest. Any punishment is just wrong.

The AOC needs to shed its hypocritical morality and adopt a reasoned view. It should start by hiring Borat as a consultant. There is no question that had the Olympians been snapped performing Camorra style mock-executions of Gypsies, Jews or other undesirables, the public would have responded with backslapping warmth and playful affection. This is a misunderstanding about the intent of the athletes, an intent that Borat would have clearly shown to viewers with the compassion and sensitivity that he is so renowned for.

Anyhow, their gun pictures were boring. They should have posed with something like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvncpT4EVzQ

Awesome!

Banjo is quite correct within the realms of an innocent activity. Many countries have guns including the US, and as Jayb pointed out on another thread, guns are a part of how humans control there breeding habits. Yes its sounds very cold, however our waring history here in Australia shows the hypocritical behaviours; for example "we all remember and supports the ANZAC's and celebrate the culling practices of war" funny how humans make decisions.
When it comes to gun owners, not everyone's a fool. The reasons for guns in general, cause it works multiple which has been out-lined already. However, you all missed one important one....."when jail want-to-be,s like to blow themselves away, the slime of drug deals selling to your children, no-one blinks an eye to that one, because it works in your favour. Sure, the crazy, the suicidal, the murderous lover, and even some bikies, do become the victims, but its all human.
In the world of this many, how can we not have guns? If some of you weren't told about the laws of life.....its a gamble....who guaranteed you a free pass without consequences? (not even GOD him self) Anyone of you could cross the road and bang!, drive your car, get hit at a hotel fight, or you just slip over in the bath tub...........etc

Then death comes for you, you cant stop it....but one can increase your chances...what you say:)....Thats your problem.

Try not driving when on your phone, dont drink and drive, stop smoking, get regular check ups from your doctor, or just stop being a clown.....these will help:)

continued

Being a past gun owner for 4 years, feral pests was one enjoyment, target shooting was another, lining up bottles and cans.....but the novelty soon wore off.

People kill people, not the guns.

Its just like any other mechanical device, you take your chances.

What a human-being has on its mind, even if you give or take it away, they will just find another way to complete the task.

To the swimming stars, whats happened too them, is a disgrace!

And if everyone's so worries about what there fellow human might do, maybe you/we should have a good look that the mental health system.

Its funny that 80% of what one hears on the NEWS, is just another crazy people person, go figure.

cc

I fail to see the deeper relevance of that image beyond a couple of immature teens acting typically.

It's less contrived than say,

the photo-op of a US President striding along a battleship in a fighter pilot flight suit to declare "Mission Accomplished" or

a local Minister for Defence posing atop a tank and as ridiculous as

a British Prince wearing a Nazi uniform at a party or even

a Union-bashing aspiring PM posing in a safety vest and hard-hat as if he is somehow now magically "the Workers Friend".

Of all the real troubles in the world, it's as important as the Olympics itself is unimportant as a solution to anything.

Plant3.1,
I understood only part of what you said, perhaps i was too angry to comprehend properly, but agre with you that the AOC action is a disgrace.

Forgot the footy, spent last night sending emails to AOC, SA, media outlets and address book contacts voicing my displeasure at undeserved punishment. Olympic sponsors will be my next contact.

I agree with punishment for wrong doing, but not punishment for nothing. I fail to see how a picture of blokes holding guns can be offensive or bring their sport or themselve into disrepute. As I said we are sending a 17 person shooting team to London and an archery team and fencers, who actually fight with swords. No pics please, someone could be offended.

Don't really know why I am so angry about this when we have some in our society that claim offence to see a girl in a bikini or a nativity scene at christmas (which sends goodwill and peace). Then some who are offended by a woman seen breast feeding her infant,(how dare this woman give her child natural nourishment, no matter how discreet she is). We are such sensitive little petals.

Sometimes I am glad to be getting near the end of my time, as I fear for future generations, basic common sense has gone and my generation has certainly made a cock up of many things.

Belly note, I can have a whinge with out blaming the government!

But lets have a look at the Media. They think they are their own government,( a nice corruption story:) ask any polly around the world on that one:) oh how their so wrong. The news that's presented should only be allowed to be printed(in some examples) after the courts have handed down the verdict.( but two young stars just taking a snapshot, just imagine if got to the top, and the MEDIA killed off anymore tyring in you, this IMO is what there guilty of to the bone ) The media can and do destroy life's, all in the aid of power and money...just look at the murdoch( and does not deserve A capital letter) an insult to all of you or human parasites on a technical term. Too long we have believed what we have read, too long we have put our trust in them, and like a product you don't like, just don't by into it. However, if you haven't noticed, all human-beings literally love to attack each other, you love to spread gossip about anything thats not your own business, and I wonder who taught the lesson. The media are responsible in more ways than one of how you think, and you wonder why I define some as sheep people:)....I think with all their power and influence, the new GOD is the only title I can think of:)

A new LAW is required?

Can anyone think why this should not be?

7 billion stories and counting, but at what cost?

Oh dear:) I just had 5 secs to chat:)

Problebly many mistakes.

Question?

What sound does a sheep make?

I think I will never know...lol

Good luck, but don't think too hard:)

and don't for get that sence of humour;)

cc

Yes Banjo, I do rattle on sometimes:)

cc

I must admit that punishing Darcy for a photo including him posted on Monk's Facebook page seems more than a little excessive. If this was Monk being punished for breaching the social media guidelines then I still don't see the need for collective punishment.

I agree with Shadow Minister. The punishment does
appear to be excessive. But then the Australian
Olympic Committee has had its ongoing share of
problems when dealing with its athletes. From
rebellious Dawn Fraser, to Cathy Freeman, to
bribery and drugs - and now to athletes
photographed with guns while touring the US.

I wonder what the olympic committee would have decided
if the two blokes had appeared snogging on Facebook?

Usually society approves of men holding guns - but not
holding hands. Right?

SM,
Obviously there was no breach of social media guidelines, the charge was for 'bringing themselves into disrepute' which is nothing more than an excuse to get at them. Lexi is right, if they were holding hands it may be deemed disreputable.

It was nothing more than a beatup by the anti gun lobby and the media.

Shame on the AOC for going along with that.

I do not know anything about the shooting team, but think there may be girls on it and there are female archers, maybe fencers as well, who handle dangerous weapons. A javelin looks like it could hurt a bit.

The Australian media are an embarrassment. It disturbs me no end I have to swallow their rubbish while trying to find out what's going on around the world.

Apparently more images have surfaced. Imagine if someone went hunting. Sweet mother of God they would jail them. How can ANYONE report this stuff with a straight face? It blows my mind.

This is a new low. You are a disgrace, Australian media. A national disgrace.

Just yesterday I blogged about this subject at
http://www.observationpoint.com.au/?p=706
I've already had hate email from some fairly self rightous folk.
Go figure!
Anthony
http://www.observationpoint.com.au

Just maybe AOC and SA have shot themselves in the foot.

Have a look at this link. Swimmers had a bonding session at a Canberra shooting range, which include some firing of weapons, good on em.

I particularly like the bit about AOC giving permission to one of our lady shooters to pose in a bikini for Zoo magazine.

Wonder if there will be an apology to the two blokes?

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/swimming-australia-under-fire-after-athletes-attend-shooting-session-at-a-canberra-rifle-range/story-e6freuy9-1226390589971

What hypocricy.
But I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for an apology.
Anthony
http://www.observationpoint.com.au

It is rather ironic that our media over react in this way and suppoprt the illegal invasion of Iraq and the killing of one million civilians.

I don't think our media have the ability to "suppoprt" anything other than ratings.

So what's next ?, we ban televising the skeet shooting event because it shows some one using a [ AAaarrghh ] GUN?. This sort of BS is getting out of hand. What if the swimmer is a member of a gun club ?.
This crap defys belief and the newspapers AND the body that sent them home ought to be nailed to a cross or committed.

I agree that the media have blown this way out of proportion, I don't see how anyone could take offense to this image. It seems the media are desperate for stories when run crap like this.I don't even think this is glorifying guns in any way, it's just two young blokes in a foreign country having a laugh with a silly photo. If they had been in Asia for instance it would've been the same except with monkeys instead of guns.

Whoa people. Lots of gnashing of teeth and renting of garments on both sides it would seem.

I think the most sensible comment thus far was from our Olympic Gold Metal shooter Russell Mark. He said:

"One of them did a Chopper Read pose, and I think Nick's got a pistol and is pointing virtually at Kenrick's rib cage, which was an unsafe position. It was an aggressive pose with a firearm ... if I had've done that, I would have been dragged over the coals as well. But as to banning them from the Olympic team ... that would have been a massive overreaction. I think the punishment they've got is just a note to say 'Guys, you're on notice here. Get your act together, keep your nose out of the media, don't post any stupid photos on Facebook, concentrate on swimming and things will be right'."
The Age

Both these blokes have form and for the good of themselves, their team mates and our Olympic campaign they should be on a tight leash. This was a tug on that leash. The fact that the media and you lot have chosen to over hype it doesn't make the facts something they aren't.

As for people thinking no one could be offended by the photo I hope we would all have the good grace to recognise Walter Mikac definitely has that right, and be sympathetic to him expressing it.

Yaaah!

http://www.mrtoledano.com/the-united-states-of-entertainment/07

csteele,
The anti gun lobby used the pic to push their barrow. and it was blown up by sensational media. The AOC punished the blokes about nothing at all.

The AOC ended up seriously embarrassed and it was generous of Russell Mark to give the AOC a straw to grasp.

Lisa Curry said what atheletes do when not training is their business and others should butt out.

Dear Banjo,

That might be the song you are trying to sing but it is seriously out of tune my friend. I agree the media has beaten this up but so have you, probably more so.

Are you seriously wanting us to dismiss the words of a man who knows a damn sight more about guns than Lisa Curry and who knows what it means to represent his country and succeed at the highest sporting level in a discipline involving weapons?

Time to dial it back mate.

And I can tell you if my father had ever caught me pointing one of my rifles unloaded or otherwise in the direction of another person I would have copped a clip around the ears and a boot up the backside quick smart.

As to Lisa Curry's “what atheletes do when not training is their business and others should butt out” contention: one of these swimmers while not in training was caught lying through his teeth to authorities and the other severely assaulted two other swimmers, one who was beaten so viciously that he had his jaw, eye socket, hard palate, cheek bone and nose all broken.

I'm not happy about either of them representing me and my country but if I have to suffer it then I want them on the shortest leash possible.

Perhaps hopping off the hobbyhorse and taking a deep breath might be in order. I think it has been handled appropriately and it only the likes of you and the media will see it continue to be stirred up.

Time for both of you to drop it.