Cossomby I will say it straight out what you have said is just B/S. No truth whatsoever. As for you deciding who should have a gun what about me deciding if you are sensible enough to go out never mind drive a car.
A parade of lies against shooters. Have a go at the arab crime gangs mate they all have guns and see how you go and then tell me about sense.

More misinterpretation, JB, I never said or implied that I should decide who should have a gun.

Again, why are you so defensive? Make your case rationally and unemotionally, if you want to influence those who are against guns.

Some light relief.

In 1935, Dame Mary Gilmore published 'Flint-lock and Rifle', about the guns in her family when she was growing up in rural NSW, ca 1860s-80s. It's a fascinating insight into the importance of guns in rural areas then. However, times have changed - and they had changed by 1935! - and the same need no longer exists.

Some extracts...

We loaded guns, in my day in ways and with things that would make a modern people's hair stand on end; while children handled and used fire-arms who would not now be allowed to touch them.

Above the mantelpiece of kitchen or dining-room, above or behind the front door, on the sides of the living room; or in a stand in the hall where the house was roomy, and in the gun-room when it was large, these were their places. Pegs driven into slab walls held them in the settler's hut, and no matter how many there were, and no matter how old, they were alw3ays charged. No shot was fired without an immediate reloading.

Of our own ancient arsenal the oldest was a wheel-lock. Brown Bess was a flint-lock, and had a dark stock and the loveliest deep bronze coloured barrel I ever saw. The wheel-lock was only used when there was nothing else left, and clouds of cockatoos or what grand-father called 'a skulk' of dingoes had to be frightened away.

Like the wheel-lock, Brown Bess was a pensioner, too. In the homely language of the day "a whole bellyful of shot in her" only scattered the ducks or broke a wing or two. But when shot was so hard to get that heavy stuff had to be counted, pellet by pellet, a wasteful gun could not be afforded. What Australia would have done but for China and her tea-chest lead I do not know. Tea was cheap no matter what the price, because of the defensive value of the linings of the chests, and because of what that lining meant to preserving or providing for the victualling of a family.

To be continued

Cossomby,

"In 1935, Dame Mary Gilmore published 'Flint-lock and Rifle', about the guns in her family when she was growing up in rural NSW, ca 1860s-80s. It's a fascinating insight into the importance of guns in rural areas then. However, times have changed - and they had changed by 1935! - and the same need no longer exists."

The same needs exist, but probably even more so as wild dogs have multiplied thanks very much to National Parks and the Greens.
Wild pigs are seen in many places where they never were in 1935 and foxes proliferate.
Happy days if we could reduce the killer feral population to what it was pre WW II.

Dear O Sung Wu,

<<And even a perfectly normal, reasonable, and law-abiding individual can become very very aggressive even violent, all over a bloody gun for goodness sake ! And I just don't get it, I really don't ?>>

Had someone came to confiscate a gun from Jesus' home, he would turn his other cheek and say, "the ammunition is in the cupboard opposite, help yourself and Oh, would you like an apple?"...

But just as you said, we are talking about normal people here. Jesus wouldn't mind if all his other possessions were taken away from him as well, but ordinary reasonable normal people do and we know that if someone wants to take away our possessions and our freedom, perhaps our life too, then taking away our guns would only be the first step.

Now I don't have a gun, never will, but the act of confiscating all guns in Australia disadvantages me as well because along with the actual guns they also took away the fear of potential burglars that I may have a gun at home and would be willing to use it, so I too kick and scream for having my non-existent gun confiscated!

As for licensing, yes, it is needed for safety: if it were possible for good people to obtain a firearm license for self-defence, then I would obtain one - not the actual firearm, just the license - for knowing that I have one is enough to send criminals away.

By all means Yuyutsu, turn your other cheek, along with your god, any time you like.

Some of us have no intention of being nailed to a cross, or beheaded by some cowardly big beard wearing follower of that other middle east god.

If you want to run your life according to some medieval superstition, used by the gentry to control their surfs, by all means go for it, but leave those of us less superstitious out of your ideas.

When in danger, I prefer the shoot first, & apologies if got it wrong afterwards technique thanks. Not interested in a red face from getting belted about or my throat cut.