Is Mise,

You are certainly a hard man. But you picked on poor old Josephus without call. I was the one who mentioned your stick and thugs' nuts.

33 thousand Americans shot dead each year is fact, not paranoid BS. This death toll is sustained by the Second Amendment to their Constitution. Fact, not paranoid BS. The amendment allowing every Tom, Dick and Harry to bear arms was a response to the perceived danger from black slaves seeking freedom and native Americans defending their land. Fact not paranoid BS.

Facts about Australia. A minuscule minority consisting of gun hobbyists are seeking the unravelling of laws enacted to put an end to massacres such as that in Port Arthur. Fact. The laws worked. Fact.

Gun hobbyists are basing their pitch on the right of prey to defend themselves against predators. Fact (just read this thread). Gun-armed predators will get the drop on prey in practically every predator-prey encounter even if the prey are also allowed to own a gun. Obvious to anyone prepared to engage one or two neurones.

The vast majority of Australians are more likely to be prey than predators. Arming predators is therefore a deadly threat to the vast majority of Australians. The tiny number of self-interested hobbyists seeking to impose this can do so only by gaming the political system as they have been seeking to do via the Senate.

To stomp this finger that's appearing under the door, remind your individual pollies whose interests they are supposed to serve. Start with the Adler massacre weapon.

The drums, Paul, were destined to be rubbish bins on Anzac Range (Holdsworthy) and holes in them were very desirable to let water out and stop fermentation of food matter. They also made life easier for the ants who did a sterling job.
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It is total BS spin to compare American gun happy laws to be in any way similar to the sensible gun laws Australia had 30 years ago.

Total spin right here in print.

It's un-Australian to do that.

A gunnie claims
"It is total BS spin to compare American gun happy laws to be in any way similar to the sensible gun laws Australia had 30 years ago"

He means the "sensible gun laws" under which 35 Australians lost their lives cowering wherever they could to try to stay alive as a gun freak picked them off because he had access to a gun.

In retrospect I would suggest two differences from what Mr Howard did. Firstly, people who kept spare guns in excess of defensible reasons should have had their guns confiscated not purchased. Secondly, the guns should not have been destroyed but securely stockpiled for distribution if (when) the Indos came (come) to enslave us as they enslaved the East Timorese and still enslave the West Papuans.

Hi there Paul1405; JOSEPHUS and TTBN...

The walking stick can be a particularly useful weapon. Notwithstanding the Indian martial arts, have a discipline involving the use of a walking stick or cane, that when used as taught, can be most effective even fatal in some circumstances - Interestingly, most of the worlds martial arts had their origins in the Indian Sub-Continent. 'Kali' goes back over a thousand years even more, so I'm led to understand?

However it's in the Republic of the Philippines where they've exploited a simple bamboo cane, hitherto used for agricultural purposes, and over time developed into one of the most effective martial arts weapons I've seen for sometime. The martial art (for the better use of a word) was originally called Escrima when the Spanish still ruled the country, and after they we removed by the Americans it was later called Arnis. Today, most practitioners pursue 'Modern Arnis', a supremely versatile fighting Art, with a potential for fatal consequences.

From modern Arnis, we've seen them develop and exploit the Art into a skilled knife fighting procedure, employing the Balisong knife or fan blade. Later weaponless modern Arnis emerged, with a total absence of any form of weaponry, including the traditional cane that's used in traditional Arnis itself.

Be assured Gentlemen, I cannot overstate what formidable fighters the Filipino's are, including the diminutive and utterly cute Filipina's, of that little gem, I can personally attest too. I hope it assists?