Bruce in West Oz
Member
From the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade:
I know, you're thinking, "Well, they're talking about keeping machine guns or AKs out of the hands of terrorists and rebels -- not a bad thing".
Except when you read on:
Full text here:
http://www.dfat.gov.au/security/small_arms.html
Read it all if you have a strong stomach. The mindset is unbelievable; they see no difference whatsoever between a terrorist with an MP5 and me with my .22 rimfire bunny gun (which they stole off me and crushed anyway).
GLOBAL ISSUES
Small arms
Combating the Small Arms Problem
The destabilising accumulation, spread and misuse of small arms and light weapons contributes to the breakdown of civil society and law and order in many regions, including in the Asia Pacific._ Although there is no internationally accepted definition of the term "small arms and light weapons", it is generally taken to include revolvers, rifles, sub-machine and machine guns, grenade launchers, anti-aircraft guns, and portable anti-tank and anti-aircraft missile launchers._
The spread of small arms adversely affects the prospects for good governance, human rights and socio-economic development in many countries, most often among the world's least-developed._
Over 90% of the victims of the use of small arms are civilians, with women and children accounting for 80% of the casualties._ Of the 49 major conflicts since 1990, small arms and light weapons were the only weapons used in 46. The lives and livelihoods of civilians in many conflict-affected regions are threatened by the ready availability of transportable, easily concealed and lethal small arms._
I know, you're thinking, "Well, they're talking about keeping machine guns or AKs out of the hands of terrorists and rebels -- not a bad thing".
Except when you read on:
Measures by the Australian Government to Address the Small Arms Issue
Australia’s national small arms report can be found on the following website. It outlines all aspects of Australia’s small arms policy including national controls, the new handgun reform measures and the firearm trafficking agreement; export controls; transparency measures; regional initiatives and capacity building projects. http://disarmament.un.org/cab/salw-nationalreports.html
National Measures
Australia has in place some of the most stringent firearms laws in the world. Since 1996, firearms reform measures have occupied the attention of the highest levels of the Australian Government.
The possession and manufacture of guns and all other types of small arms are subject to strict national controls and strong law enforcement. In Australia’s federal system of government, the six State and two Territory jurisdictions have direct legislative responsibility for firearms control measures. The Federal Government is responsible for controlling the import and export of firearms.
Following the Port Arthur massacre in 1996 in which a person armed with high powered rifles murdered 35 persons at a historic tourist site, Australian governments tightened the regulation of ownership and licensing of firearms through the historic National Firearms Agreement (NFA). This agreement is the foundation of Australia’s domestic firearms legislation. It reflected agreement by all governments in Australia’s federal system to improve firearms legislation and introduced:
* prohibitions on a range of automatic and semi-automatic or “military style†longarms, 660,000 of which were surrendered under a 'buyback' and compensation scheme funded by the Australian Government (No. the poor bloody taxpayer funded it!);
* registration systems maintained by each jurisdiction and linked across Australia;
* requirement for genuine reasons for owning, possessing or using a firearm;
* registration of all firearms;
* licensing of all firearms owners;
* strict health, character and safety criteria for firearms licence applicants;
* minimum firearms safety and storage requirements.
The Federal Government has continued to work with the governments of Australia’s States and Territories to develop new legislative and policy initiatives in support of the aims of the NFA, to refine the regulation of lawful firearms owners and users and to improve community safety.
Australian political leaders have given their unanimous support to the following strengthened control measures:
* Australia's strict policy on illegal arms transfers is illustrated by the various conditions under which exports of military small arms and military goods are expressly prohibited:
* to countries against which the United Nations Security Council or United Nations General Assembly have imposed a mandatory arms embargo
* to countries with policies or interests which are hostile to the strategic interests of Australia or its friends and allies
* to governments that seriously violate their citizens' rights, unless there is no reasonable risk that the goods might be used against those citizens
* where foreign and strategic policy interests outweigh export benefits, and
* if the export would be reasonably judged to affect adversely Australia's military capability.
* Australia has also decided that in certain circumstances it may be necessary to prevent the export of non-military lethal goods (including certain types of small arms, such as hunting or sporting weapons) to particular destinations on foreign policy, defence or other national interest grounds._ The export of non-military lethal goods to any country is prohibited unless an export licence or permit has been issued._
Most recently, following a tragic shooting at an Australian University, the Federal, State and Territory Governments of Australia agreed on further measures to reduce the circulation of small concealable handguns such as “pocket pistols†and to strengthen significantly controls on access to handguns by sporting shooters. The reforms do not affect access to handguns by official agencies such as Police or private security firms; however, a review of the allocation of handguns and storage practices in the private security industry will be conducted. For more details of the hand gun reforms go to http://www.law.gov.au/handguns.
Full text here:
http://www.dfat.gov.au/security/small_arms.html
Read it all if you have a strong stomach. The mindset is unbelievable; they see no difference whatsoever between a terrorist with an MP5 and me with my .22 rimfire bunny gun (which they stole off me and crushed anyway).
