Suseonline,

What needs to happen in the US is to stop gang membership at the start, when children are young.

It is obvious we need to do that in Oz as well.

Do this,

http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/preventgangmembership/index.html

To stop this,

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/bikie-dads-breeding-new-generation-of-bad-boys/story-fnihsrf2-1226738938629

and this,

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/bikie-war-hits-bra-boys-turf/story-e6freuy9-1225966013690

OTB, the problems in America are way too entrenched to fix now...the horse has well and truly bolted.
As far as Australia is concerned, we need to tighten up the gun laws even further because I doubt anything else will help.

Racism and discrimination are figments of a nanny society bent on the growth of minority influence in community affairs.
It is a very strange world we live in where I cannot say I hate someone or some group because, to me, they stink or are repugnant or are a particular religion or creed or color especially when what I say or see is fact.
Half these religion and many of their adherents simply want me dead because I am an infidel, whatever that means but I don't see the police battering their doors down and charging them with race crimes.
I am not a racist in the true sense of the word but I live my life with race high on the radar of danger.
I only discriminate when it is to my economic advantage.

Chris Gaff I think I see your direction and in my own way agree, only because you told us the place you served as a cop and I know well the abuse you would have faced.
Now many will not like my view, as they will not like yours, the last line seemed more like fishing than fact.
But I always was out to enjoy life and once lived and played in Sydney's west, not hold your horses gay, or even happy.
So a Saturday or Sunday could end up at the cross or George street.
Not now blind seething mindless hate, not from all but far too many says stay away.
Worth noting our near north Islands give us as many problem children as what I think is your target.
Can any one tell me,why PC? why is it demanded that we treat some better than they treat us.

Suseonline,

I 'get' that you would always want 'further tightening' without knowing or even caring what restrictions are already in place and their levels of effectiveness and efficiency. Your goal is to ban the private legal ownership of firearms and possession of legal, registered firearms.

After all, unlicensed possession and use of firearms has always been illegal. Likewise the firearms licence, which is the strong, robust control, has been in existence for donkeys years.

I really don't see any worth at all in punishing honest respectable citizens for crimes they don't commit themselves, don't have any part in and are obviously very opposed to as well. I would like to be assured though that their critics are as law-abiding and of good character as the firearms licensed citizens have been certified to be.

There are thousands of people who are buying recreational drugs and directly supporting drug gangs and indirectly their violence and crime. Those people who buy and consume illicit drugs sure aren't the citizens with firearms licences and there are very obvious and compelling reasons why not.

>>Those people who buy and consume illicit drugs sure aren't the citizens with firearms licences and there are very obvious and compelling reasons why not.<<

Those people who buy and consume illicit drugs are anonymous to the law unless they get caught. Illicit drug users buy their drugs outside of the law and the only register of illicit drug use - the list of criminals who have been tried and convicted of illicit drug use - represents only the tip of the iceberg of illicit drug users.

We simply don't know how many firearms licensees purchase and use illicit drugs. There is no reliable method to obtain the statistics so as far as we know they're all up to their eyeballs in coke.

But it doesn't seem likely. Frankly, I'm a lot more concerned about the combination of firearms and a legal mind-altering drug: alcohol is well known for increasing aggression and reducing impulse control. It's also part of the Australian culture; we drink more heavily than USAdians. I don't think booze and guns make for good bedfellows and I'd have very serious reserves about any relaxation of gun laws until I stop hearing regular reports about glassing: if we can't trust people to understand that glasses are for drinking out of and not committing GBH how can we trust them with a sidearm?

Cheers,

Tony