Their firearms rules must surely be better than the UK's.
Yes and no OddJob. Firstly,unfortunately Australia's gun laws are similar to the UKs,but with a few exceptions-here and there.I will list what they can have,what we can have and what we both can have,below.It seems easier to get a license for a gun in the UK,then in Australia,from what I have read in threads-on this website.
Australia:
Banned all semi-automatic rifles after the Port Arthur Massacre in 1996,the weapons were finally handed in in 1997,at the same time of the handgun buyback,here in the UK.Pump and semi-auto shotguns,were included in the 1996,ban in Australia-too.PM John Howard,who hates guns,was delighted to see the end of them,by helping to create ridiculous laws,to counter his fear of them.
Pump-action rifles survived the 1996,gun ban.They are still common,with those persons who once hunted with semi-automatics.Unfortunately the arrogant and snobbish,sporters in the UK and from the UK Deer Society,told the government,that UK citizens,didn't need them.
Handguns wern't touched in 1996,but became more severly regulated and in 2002,after a Chinese student killed several students with a .38 revolver-a new gun ban was introduced,that banned all short-barrelled pistols.Also more stringent regulations were put on pistols and a shooter can wait upto 18 months for a license-for a handgun.
The UK:
I think that you know about Hungerford and Dunblane,so I won't go in to it,at all-but we still retained pump-action shotguns,semi-auto shotguns and .22 rifles,in those two formats-as well.Hand guns survived the 1988 gun purges and ban,but only for another decade.
Pistols were banned,none spared sadly,in 1997 and in 1998,except for LBRs and LBPs.
If you went to Australia,you could own a handgun,but not a pump-action shotgun or a straight-pull rifle,that resembled a semi-automatic,military rifle.However there have been stories,of some shipments,from the UK-getting through,into some states.
However pumps and semi's are making appearences in some shooting disciplines,over there-in some states.
In the UK,you could own both but not a standard handgun,but you could have owned all three,before 1997.
So take your pick and see which country,you would rather,live in.The general populance,is very similar too,with slightly more shooters.
The antis,from both nations, still want bolt,pump and lever actions,banned over there as they do here.Both anti organizations are similar,in both content,attitude and in main views:not suprisingly because both are twined,with each other after Port Arthur and Dunblane.
By the way, I have seen clips of that new dystopian fim "Children of Men" and I can imagine what the future,will be like for us in the future-if we had all of our guns removed and if the situation,in terms of terrorists and other undesirables,get more so out of hand,than at present.
