Civilians armed? That invokes an ugly picture. The term "Going off half-cocked" comes readily to mind. Unless all civilians are trained how and when to use arms - such as in Switzerland - it would be an unmitigated disaster.

I suspect that in Middle Eastern countries, civilians are permitted all types of weaponry - and look what occurs there. The fact that we are a western democracy counts for nought. There will always be a segment of society who are gung ho, and there is always the risk of "lynch" mobs, reprisals, etc. Imagine a society where Chinese whispers can grow into fact, eg the Middle East. But we would not be immune ...

If one is talking about a citizen's army with rank of command, then it could be a possibility, but it would have to be tightly controlled, as would the storing of weapons.

There is nothing to worry about Danielle since Little John Howard got all of those likely terrorists, OMG bikies and organised crime like the Mafia to hand in their illegal guns.

Sleep well.

Er, wait a minute, home burglary is endemic. Too easy, keep a video camera going 24/365 in your bedroom. That way the police have something to go on later. The clearance rate for home burglaries is poor and the video you (ahem) left behind will help them.

An armed citizenry at a shopping mall?! That sounds fun ... Oops, I thought a gunshot ...

I lived in Malaya for several years during the emergency, learned how to handle arms, and also the need to respect them.

Unfortunately, with any group,, the collective IIQ, thus response, drops down to the lowest denominator. Someone, or several, less than astute with poor judgement ...

Also how old would one need be to have a handgun? Then there are those borrowing Dad's. We can't refuse those of young age to have guns when our soldiers of the same age are fighting, albeit under command.

There are thousands of respectable, law-abiding citizens about you, some of whom have held a firearms licence for periods longer than many posting here would have lived.

For years they have carried firearms to an from range practice and competition, for example. No-one ever realises and there are no incidents involving them, not even the minor ones that programs like A Current Affair could beat up. How come they are not running amok through, "the collective IIQ, thus response, drops down to the lowest denominator."?

I am not proposing concealed carry, just pointing out the obvious, in order that there might be some informed and balanced debate.

In the days when concealed carry was normal in NSW, in fact open carry was not allowed except on private property in the bush, there were no problems with those licenced to carry concealed pistols.
The licence was a known as a "Possess, Use and Carry" Licence and I would like someone, anyone, to come up with a genuine reference that they ever posed a problem.

They were abolished in 1996 as they posed a danger to political correctness and were an ever present danger to criminals.

The thought that ordinary people could defend themselves was anathema to John "I hate guns" Howard who was himself always protected by men with guns.

onthebeach,

Yes, there are many responsible gun owners, who are trained and shoot regularly. They are not the problem. It only takes a few impulsive rat bags to cause carnage.

As the proposal is from the US, which already has lax gun laws, if any at all, their own history with gun crimes would surely demand caution. There would have to be a complete overhaul of gun laws - even restricting some who already have weapons - to make this work. Aren't people permitted guns already? Thus, at a base level it would hardly be a novel idea.

Switzerland is an excellent example of an armed and trained citizenry,