Hey JSP1488. It's me again. You miss me?
I notice you're still shootin from the hip and not hittin much!

Rock Collector, in the words of Saint Pauline of Ipswich, "Please explain".

Hey JSP1488
Thought you'd given up on me. I voted for Pauline. Lovely woman.

Pity about her taste in men!

Now let me please explain. I've been away a few days getting rid of the rocks I'd collected and thought I'd drop back in to say hello.

Owe ChrisPer a couple of comments.

Not too crazy on the Port Arthur comments made about 'showing their stuff'. Can't quite put my finger on that remark ChrisPer but it don't sound right to me. Sounds like you might have been a little perturbed because those that were murdered, didn't try to defend themselves a little better. If that's the case ChrisPer you got to remember most people don't go around Australia looking for a gun fight. And a lot of those murdered were woman and children, some were older people, and the rest were probably suffering from bewilderment and shock. Can't really say how I'd react but don't know if I'd go down without attempting something. Maybe some did. Bryant was a crack shot so I'm lead to believe but it's easy to be a crack shot when you're at shooting women and children cowering on the ground.
Have you put in your submission for the Weapons Act yet JSP1488? Times running out but it doesn't count if you're not a Qld'er.

Ive put mine in and I'll tell you something JSP1488, it's looking good.

Better get ready to hang up the holster!

Did ya see that lady from the states on TV the other night? Gun-totin 80-year old granny if ever I saw one.
Even had a special little holster sewn into her pinnie she made for herself and the pistol, just in case she was attacked at the sink doing the dishes.
No-ones going to mess with that gal!

Looks a bit like a BBQ apron I've got, only I've got a different little holster!

TurnrightThenleft. Fair comments and well presented.

PALE/IF or whatever, like your style too.

Gotta go! ChrisPer if you're there, got an answer for you later about some of the things you asked me.

TRTL asked: "Would it also be fair to say that as the number of firearms in the community increases, so too do the number of gun-related deaths?"

The short answer is no. It seems a simple relationship in people's minds, but in practice is not so simple.

1) Adding safe, trained owners would not increase the number of deaths.
2) Adding guns to a collection does not increase deaths.
3) Adding a second gun to a farmer's cabinet does not increase deaths.
4) Adding a fourth target pistol to an international squad shooter's target box does not increase deaths.
5) Adding ten new air rifles to a Police and Citizen's Youth Club does not increase deaths.

These kind of uses and owners are typical of perhaps 90%+ of guns legally owned in Australia. So what kind of increases in gun ownership will increase deaths?

1) Giving guns to suicidal people who did not have them before, is likely to result in deaths. Most gun deaths are suicides. Since gun suicides have been falling steadily since 1989, we have to question whether fashion in suicide methods is more important than access to guns.

2) Allowing drunks and drug addicts to have guns is likely to result in deaths. These groups are prone to unsafe acts, and unsafe acts result in a percentage of deaths. Young children and irresponsibles, including violent criminals also should be prevented from access to guns.

These people may not legally have guns anyway.

3) Allowing journalists to have guns is likely to result in deaths. Imitators commit repeat crimes, and Bryant was inspired by the coverage of massacres and explanations by journalists of how to get easy access to guns. The final trigger was the coverage of Dunblane's perpetrator.

So, when you say more guns will lead to more deaths, what are your unstated assumptions? Please articulate them...

TarynW:

PALE stated: "I think people ought to be able to keep a gun for their protection in this day and age.
After all we live in dangerous times . We should be able to protect our house our family and our country."

Thus, I concluded a feeling of insecurity, insecurity meaning, a lack of security - "we live in dangerous times."

On the other hand, the statement that I was afraid to protect my family. Where could that be derived from?
As far as personal swipes go, PALE also insinuated that I was posting under two names, which is blatantly false and there is absolutely nothing there to support it. I was quite offended by the implication that I was doing so and OLO had indicated something, which is false.
So when you say "Then you seem to have got all offended when the writer replied on a personal note[ as was directed to pale. Seems fair to me" my response is - no it isn't.

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.

And overall, yeah, I'd say that if you take the firarms skills of the average Australian, then compare it to the skills of criminals using firearms, then you're going to have a discrepancy.
I realise the comparison between an average citizen overall and a criminal who would use firearms is skewed, though the key thing is that the criminal set probably wouldn't have too many compunctions about that.
Whilst you can compare firearms-trained citizens with criminals, it requires the citizens to take on similar duties.

ChrisPer: "These kind of uses and owners are typical of perhaps 90%+ of guns legally owned in Australia. So what kind of increases in gun ownership will increase deaths?"

And the other 10 per cent?

"3) Allowing journalists to have guns is likely to result in deaths. Imitators commit repeat crimes, and Bryant was inspired by the coverage of massacres and explanations by journalists of how to get easy access to guns. The final trigger was the coverage of Dunblane's perpetrator."

How many journalists have shot people, and wouldn't it make sense to also restrict this "easy access" they speak of?