According to research from the American gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety, FBI data on mass shootings from 2009 to 2016 showed that in 54% of the cases, the attacker killed an intimate partner, like a spouse or former spouse, or another family member.

In the recent mass shooting at the Merrylands Capital Gazette where five people were killed, it has been revealed that the accused killer Jarrod Ramos had a clear history of harassment and stalking of a woman known to him. In 2011 a Merrylands woman, who had been a high school classmate of Ramos's revealed to the Capital Gazette that she had answered messages from Ramos, telling the newspaper she was just “being friendly”, but soon realized the situation was “turning into something that gave me a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach”. “He seems to think there’s some sort of relationship here that does not exist,”. “I tried to slowly back away from it, and he just started getting angry and vulgar to the point I had to tell him to stop.” He harassed her for more than a year.
Like the Capital Gazette shooter, the Virginia Tech shooter who killed 32 people also allegedly stalked classmates. The Pulse nightclub shooter who killed 49 people allegedly beat, raped and controlled his wife. The shooter who targeted a Parkland, Florida, high school allegedly abused his ex-girlfriend, before he killed 17 people.

American research reveals that in a high number of cases, gun owners often direct their extreme gun violence towards people they know, or harass other persons known to them before they commit their extreme acts. Like America, should Australia be concerned that not enough is done to determine the mental state of those who in the first instance apply for a gun licence, and then their ongoing mental fitness to hold such a licence.

“Like America, should Australia be concerned that not enough is done to determine the mental state of those who in the first instance apply for a gun licence, and then their ongoing mental fitness to hold such a licence.”

Thanks to the Green-like knee jerk reaction by John Howard, we have extremely draconian laws on guns. What goes on in America is not our concern. And, do you have any idea of the cost and practicalities of determining the “mental state” of even the relatively few people wanting firearms in Australia? For decent, law-abiding citizens, there is a virtual ban on gun ownership. Who wants to put themselves through the rigamarole of acquiring a firearms licence? Those wanting a firearm can get one illegally with no hassle from the law.

We are more at risk from drunks and druggies on the roads,politicians and a non-performing judiciary than we are from guns.

drunks, druggies, road accidents, don't necessarily kill.
Guns do.

Foxy,

"drunks, druggies, road accidents, don't necessarily kill.
Guns do."

Guns don't necessarily kill either; how would you kill someone with a Zimmerstutzen?
Haven't you ever heard of being wounded?

Paul, It's Maryland, not Merrylands, that's a suburb in Sydney.

Do be a good lad and get a free Spellcheck or, better still, Grammarly (which is also free and gives one a weekly progress report!)..

As far as I am concerned gun control was the best thing Howard did. I was an advisor to Senator Woodley at the time, and we would get "Lock, Stock and Barrel" sent to us' It was a publication by a pro-gun group, and they of course opposed the controls. Howard reacted to the Martin Bryant massacre the way a caring prime minister should act.

I totally agree that this was one thing that John
Howard did well. It was a responsible act that any
good Prime Minister should do.

Dear Is Mise,

I'll take my chances with being able to avoid road
accidents any day of the week as opposed to fending
off a gun-toting individual.