In international terms, the United States is an
extremely violent society, with a homicide rate
far exceeding that of any other industrialised nation.
A single American city like Chicago, Houston, or
Los Angeles records more murders in a typical year
according to police reports and FBI reports, than
does the whole of England.

Most other countries severely restrict private hand gun
ownership, but there are millions of handguns in the
US and weapons of this type are used in murders that occur
each year.

Why then does the US permit such a widespread access to
handguns?

One reason is the persistent belief that, since criminals
have guns, then law-abiding citizens need them for self-
protection.

Actually, the reality is that gun-owning households are
much more likely to suffer fatalities from their own
weapons than from those of outsiders.

One study found that only a very small percentage of
of all slayings in gun-owning households were for
self-protection. the remainder were suicides, homicides, or
accidental deaths, almost all involving family members,
friends, or acquaintances.

A second reason for the proliferation of handguns in the
US is the deeply held belief by many Americans, that
gun ownership is an individual right.

For granting this "liberty" to the individual, American
society continues (and will continue) to pay the price
in the deviance of those who abuse it.

We should all be very grateful to former PM John Howard
for the gun law restrictions that he imposed after the
Port Arthur massacre.

ttbn perhaps the truth about you can be found in the number of posts your recent threads have got
Australian gun laws are OK if America Had them people by the hundreds would not be murdered by armed lunatics
It is said all such gun shooting [mass murders] from 2017 have been done by right wing extremists
In America those folk are also insane, if judged by other countries standards
Will the anti Muslim brigade now include the hillbilly right in their dislike of terrorists

Hey Paul,
"These horrible murders should again remind Australia of the terrible consequences that lax gun laws entail."

(I don't own a firearm and I don't plan on doing so.)

I don't know anything about these recent shooting events except what you've relayed;
But my reaction to what you described;

- The first thing that came to my mind -

- Was to consider a need to be armed in order to defend myself against lunatics who want to commit mass murder.

Keep pushing the rampant immigration, the pro-muslim sentiments, calling Aussies racist, whilst turning a blind eye to crime by foreigners and their gangs and your only going to increase the need for regular people to feel as though they have a need to protect themselves and their families.

- And btw I'm not even sure it's realistically possible to remove guns from the reach of criminals in the US -

Every time we hear of another mass shooting in the United States, the two opposing sides take 'aim' at each other. Lawful gun owners Vs. No private gun ownership. It's my belief, notwithstanding we have pretty robust F/A regulations in Australia, it still wouldn't necessarily, stop a massacre happening here.

One need only drive a motor vehicle through a crowded pedestrian mall; you'd be guaranteed at least a half-dozen fatalities plus injuries.

The real risk to our community comes from the state of mind of some of these potential killers. An individual wishing harm on anyone will adopt any instrument or means capable of yielding that harm.

Therefore the only way the Yanks might be able to interdict these atrocious crimes is to rout out the 'crazies' in the community, with guns in their possession. And that would be a near-impossible task, especially with the politically powerful, NRA hovering in the background.

o sung wo old mate as you know criminals will always get guns
As you know too domestic disputes would see far more deaths if we had the American laws
True ferrals have the right to guns under that system, it is my view we do not need it here

Paul,

You said,

"Unfortunately we still have those among us, the gun lobby, who continually pressure politicians to go down the American path..."

Can you give a reference, please?

Or an instance or two?

So far you have failed to do so.