OzOne wrote in message ...
On 30 Oct 2006 14:50:05 -0800, "Peter"
scribbled thusly:


OzOne wrote:

You live in a land with guns in too many hands already..It would be
near impossible to get them all under control.

We don't....we have largly succeeded in getting control of guns.

Oz, I generally don't buy into gun threads these days but - that is
either an outright lie or such an example of wishful thinking that it
might as well be one.

Pete, we do largely have guns under control.
Pistols just aren't out there unless illegally obtaibned.
Automatic rifles..same story
Semi auto...well....

It's refreshing to learn that you acknowledge the presence of
illegally-obtained firearms there. Of course you often cite gun violence
here in such threads, but fail to mention that most, if not all, of the gun
violence in this country is committed with illegally-obtained firearms. The
vast majority of it centers around gang activity in the poorest parts of our
major cities..


Thing is we have control over the legal arms situation fot the most
part and have not allowed a US situation to develop where a pistol is
considered a great gift for your wife on her birthday...no matter how
big your life insurance policy is :-)

Somehow removing the legal arms while the illegal ones perpetuate seems
ludicrous. I'll bet the bad guys there just love the gun grab.

Yes, Illegal weapons are out there, but do you seriously think that
arming the population like the US model is the answer?

Nobody "armed" the US population to combat illegal arms. That's simply
hogwash. US citizens have enjoyed owning guns for hunting, target, skeet,
trap, and other shooting sports, as well as defense, for more than two
centuries. The proliferation of illegally-gotten arms, as used by gang
members, is a relatively recent phenomenon. That the law-abiding population
happened to already own arms to use in their defense is serendipitous, not a
"model."

True...a criminal is a criminal...even if he's the guy next door who
hunts with an illegal weapon.

Hunting with an "illegal" weapon is a minor crime. Killing someone with a
legal one is a capital offense. You folks in Oz seem to be worried
disproportionately about the wrong issues. While you're grabbing guns,
criminals are still committing crimes.

Yes, I walk anywhere I wish.
The culture we have is one where guns are rare not common.

Every time I've been to Sydney, I've been made aware of areas not considered
safe for tourists or regular citizens. Have we been lied to? I walk
anywhere I wish in this country, too. That I don't wish to stroll through
Cabrini-Green in Chicago after 10pm is just common sense, not fear of guns.

Max