Rock collector asked: "Commonsense suggests to me that me gun-related deaths would drop signficantly over a twelve month period if all guns were removed for that time period. What's your take on this?"

My take is that most gun deaths are suicides. Those who suicide with guns are generally older or rural males, and intent on completion. They substitute an equally certain method such as hanging, head-on car crash or exhaust gas. Net effect: less gun deaths, so all is wonderful for those who want to show how clever they were to bring in over-the-top gun control.

quote: "A genuine gun owner will understand exactly why these laws are there, and what they are trying to achieve."

Ah, an example of the 'Every true German' argument. Disagreeing makes one a race traitor, or in this case either a illegitimate person or ignorant.

I know what the surface intent of the gun laws is. I also know that they are the result of people giving up MY freedom so THEY can have superior moral status to display.

Does that make me not 'genuine'? This form of argument certainly makes it clear that my opinion cannot be heard if it disagrees with yours.

on 5th August RockCollector wrote
“Hey JSP1488 Thought you'd given up on me. I voted for Pauline. Lovely woman.”

Well, One Nation is in favour of relaxing the gun laws. Lovely party. I never gave up on you, you faded away for a while. Remember?

Also “Have you put in your submission for the Weapons Act ...Ive put mine in and I'll tell you something JSP1488, it's looking good.
Better get ready to hang up the holster!”

I’ve been googling QLD gun laws and can’t find anything on the new proposals. Maybe you’d like to point me to them. As for hanging up the holster, what do you have against sporting shooters? How would you like it if your sport or interest (if you have any) was targeted by armchair so-called do-gooders who were operating through knee-jerking ignorance?

Finally, I see you wrote that you're an ex-hunter. You've used your gun to kill while I have only shot targets so who are you to get on your high horse?

on 6th August TRTL wrote
“JSP1488: "Not too sure about that. Do criminals practise at the range every weekend? I and my fellow club members do so and there are quite a few dead-eye shots amongst us.
Maybe we should have a criminal-club competition."

I see. So you're saying that in order to balance things out, we should all become proficient in firearms use.
Well, I'm afraid I'd rather live in Australia than the Wild West.”

As far as I can see, I only suggested a competition with the crims to show who were the better shooters – as if that would happen. I was making a facetious joke. You had better apply for a sense of humour upgrade.

To ChrisPer Well done ChrisPer. There's no doubting your argument when it's backed up by flawless logic and statistical information, particularly when confronted by the paltry attempts of my own.

I simply argue for a 'better place' but it's obvious my interpretation of a better place, is quite different to yours.

As TRTL wrote 'Look what gun ownership and protection has done for the US. Why would you want that here?'

Happily, so far, the current gun laws see it from this perspective, and, unhappily for yourself, your perceived 'freedom' whatever it might have been, appears to have been one of the casualties.

I don't have any real statistical knowledge of the fact, but logically, I think most Australians would like it to stay that way

Hey JSP1488. Yes I had faded away for a while and I intend to do it again. Thought I'd hang around and say cheerio to you first!

I still like Pauline but I lost a lot of interest when I discovered her silly intentions on gun laws.

Crikey that was close. Was that another rock I saw go over my head just then JSP1488?

I looked everywhere for that high horse you reckoned I was on, but damned if I could find it. Went for a ride on a low horse once but some shooter got at it in the paddock one night and it ended up at the knackers. Statisticaly, I don't suppose it would have been considered a gun-related death but try telling that to the horse.

Again statisticaly, I'd say it was probably some mongrel unlicensed gun owner with an illegal gun that did it.

You have to be kidding me JSP1488?

Have you been looking all over Google for proposals?

JSP1488 I didn't say proposals, I said SUBMISSIONS, and I sent mine by post!

No wonder you can't find them.

And good on you for only target shooting. You've gone up in my estimation a great deal - but you're probably not too interested in what I think so that's all I'll say.

I do hope you're being very sensible about target shooting though and not continually annoying the neighbours with the incessant noise.
Make sure you stick to shooting at a licensed club.

Hello RockCollector, glad you haven’t faded away for ever.

Going back to your first post, you mentioned ‘the Weapons Act Review currently being conducted by the Qld Government’. That’s what I was googling. Still can’t find it.

As for annoying the neighbours with the sweet sound of gunshot, the government won’t allow us to use suppressors (silencers) so what can we do, eh? We are a licensed club, under the wing of a military organisation and more than half of us are ex-services so we already know the pointy end of the gun from the other end.

On the low horse, didn’t your toes drag along the ground?