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| Down Under |
| Firearms fixed in Government’s sights |
| 2003-07-28 |
| Historic firearms could be destroyed as a result of the $118 million national handgun buyback scheme, collectors warned yesterday. Under the scheme, which starts in Victoria on Friday, all pre-1900 percussion and post-percussion handguns must be registered and owners must have category one collectors’ licences. That’s right, even percussion cap muzzle-loaders are considered dangerous handguns in Australia. The president of the Historic Arms Collecting Council of Australasia, Gordon Morgan, said the council supported controls on concealable weapons, but putting antique firearms in the same category would "crush our heritage". "We don’t shoot these guns. We’re custodians of our heritage," he said. "The collections in private hands are far greater than any museum in this country." Mr Morgan said the firearms, worth up to $250,000 for pistols used by 19th-century bushrangers, were not a threat to the community. He said owners would rather hand in their guns than go through the registration process, being photographed and fingerprinted. They must now also install security doors and safes in the rooms where the arms are kept. An alternative to the new legislation, Mr Gordon said, would be to allow bona fide members of collecting societies to purchase, show and exchange the weapons. But a spokesman for state Police Minister Andre Haermeyer said that while there were many responsible gun owners and collectors, the measures agreed to by federal, state and territory governments ensured that handguns were used only for legitimate purposes. Apparently, being a collector of antique firearms is not considered legitimate. "What we can’t get away from here is that these are guns," the spokesman said. There it is folks, right out in the open. All guns are the same and the public can’t be trusted to have any of them. "The object of the national handgun buyback is to ensure that handguns don’t make their way onto the streets." I suppose when you have totally disarmed and gelded all the honest citizens, a bad guy with a muzzleloading pistol could run amuck. Gun Control Australia president John Crook said the new storage requirements would be considered onerous by some, but they were needed because antique firearms could still cause harm if stolen and used. As opposed to buying a AK on the black market. "The public has every reason to want as strict a control as possible over every gun," Mr Crook said. Oh, I’ll bet that’s not how you sold this bill of goods when it first came up. The Federal Government expects to collect 65,000 weapons in the buyback and amnesty scheme. I’d be burying mine someplace safe. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #5 "We don’t shoot these guns. " I think I have determined the problem. When government curtails your rights, aren't you supposed to dissuade them (PAC's, the polls, then gunfire?) I am not advocating violence, but isnt gun ownership a guarantee against intrusive government? If you arent willing to shoot, then you absolutely will loose your guns. |
| Posted by: flash91 2003-7-29 12:22:43 AM |
| #4 Van Vogt RULES! I'd worry though, Mike, that the government will be taking away the double barrels and the plinkin' .22s soon enough...if you know this dodge, I'm sure the bozoourrocrats do too; go take a look at what Canada did. But...on a more cheerful note...the UN says the US has the highest ratio of guns to people in the world...wooooohoooo!!! We're at like 96% and approaching parity. I am SO proud of America. Ever wonder why Ba'athist elite Republican Guard muwatta numbnuts won't be beatin the wimmenfolk in Austin anytime soon...they'd get ventilated in a heartbeat!! |
| Posted by: Watcher 2003-7-28 8:33:03 PM |
| #3 Don't forget this handgun buyback is after the Australian government took away rifles and shotguns a few years ago. You are allowed to own a double barrel shotgun(no pump action - even if modified for only two rounds) or a bolt action .22 rifle but only if you can show that you "need" it for either target shooting or vermin control. If you live in a city or town you have to get a letter from a farmer to say you do vermin control on his property. Some farmers have between a platoon and a company of vermin controllers, so rabbits beware! I think it was science fiction writer A.E.Van Vogt in "The Weapon Shops of Issher" - "the right to own weapons is the right to be free" |
| Posted by: Aussie Mike 2003-7-28 6:33:42 PM |
| #2 Damn sure would not give up any of my guns.Law or no law than can kiss my ass. When law enforcement can absolutely gauranty my saftey then we will talk about it. |
| Posted by: raptor 2003-7-28 3:54:48 PM |
| #1 Cosmoline and plastic, guys, several layers. And try to remember where ya dug the hole, ok? |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-7-28 3:12:05 PM |