Toni,

This is Australia where the police have pistols, in the UK, Northern Ireland police all carry pistols, around London and other cities the police tend to favour the machine carbine, the MP5 is one such.

You ought to read your own links.

//This is Australia where the police have pistols//

I've never said they shouldn't.

Issy, are you shocked to find you are part of the gun lobby? I do believe you are a member of the SSAA, or some such clandestine organisation, whose aims and objectives is the proliferation of firearms in society. The big lie peddled by the gun happy brigade;

"I support the core of the current gun laws, all that I object to is the stupidities therein and the fact that Australians are denied the means to protect themselves"

You do not support the core of the current gun laws, you want them jettisoned in favour of a guns for all ethos, where even children would be armed for so called self protection.

Generally on the forum, I find you a reasonable bloke, but on the question of gun control we are poles apart, as demonstrated by our years of jousting over that very issue.

You criticise the Greens for mostly supporting minorities, and minority issues, which I am proud to say we do, but on the score of gun control I believe we are very much in the majority camp, with mainstream Australia in total agreement with our policy.

Does not America teach you nothing? A dysfunctional gun society, which has gone completely off the rails when it comes to mass murder at the hands of gun criminals. The gun lobby in that country is so powerful that no matter how many atrocities are committed the country seems incapable of doing diddly-squat about it. Is that what you want for Australia, I am sure its not.

Paul,

Make up your mind.

" ... The gun lobby in that country is so powerful that no matter how many atrocities are committed the country seems incapable of doing diddly-squat about it. Is that what you want for Australia, I am sure it's not."

but earlier you said,

"You do not support the core of the current gun laws, you want them jettisoned in favour of a guns for all ethos, where even children would be armed for so called self protection"

One quote contradicts the other.

Green reasoning?

Dear Is Mise,

So not straight answer then. Thought not.

And what is this?

“This is Australia where the police have pistols, in the UK, Northern Ireland police all carry pistols, around London and other cities the police tend to favour the machine carbine, the MP5 is one such.”

Don't try and give the impression they are all armed when ess than 1 in 10 UK policemen carry a firearm. Why? Because they have adequate gun laws and because they don't let the kind of fear you are peddling change them.

And don't give me BS about not wanting us to take the US path. You want Australians in every home to have a firearm to 'protect themselves' when any fool would recognise putting that many guns into the community and having them accessible enough to stop a burglary would mean a terrible loss of life in our communities through suicide, accidental shootings, school shootings etc.

It's time to stop trying to equate guns in America with guns in Australia. In fact, it's time to stop looking for anything in Australia that is comparable with America. We are different cultures altogether.