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Election 2010: Political party firearm policies
Trying to work out the firearms policies of the various political parties is a thankless and difficult task. Many do not include a specific policy on firearms on their websites.. They do this deliberately, we think, to dampen debate. There are a couple of political parties that are definitely on our side; one is the LDP - click here for their firearms policy. The Shooters Party now known as the 'Shooters and Fishers Party' is another. The S&F Party's firearms policy, with shooting right at the top, is here. The Australian Fishing and Lifestyle party is s bit slow off the mark. Their policy page as of Friday evening, 23/7/2010, instructs visitors to come back later. The Liberals don't appear to have changed much: Labor's firearms policy is set out here. Julia Gillard's support for John Howard's 1996 laws is included here.
Family First has provided this policy statement: Family First believes Australia’s rich and extensive state parks, marine areas and forests should be open for families to enjoy. Ensuring the community has access to our natural treasures will give Australians a greater appreciation and respect for nature and their environment. Family First supports the use of public lands for: • Recreational fishing, shooting and hunting. • Open access for community enjoyment.
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AUS: Abbott pledges to crack down on knife crime
"Tony Abbott has promised to spend $179 million to tackle organised gangs and knife crime if the Coalition is elected to government. Mr Abbott made the announcement on the campaign trail in Melbourne today. And he said the Coalition would toughen penalties for those caught carrying knives and increase restrictions on knife imports."
US: Flat Earthers and Gun Controllers
"They say there are still people who believe the earth is flat. Despite all the evidence, despite the logic of the earth being a sphere, despite the pictures from space, despite the fact you can fly over the poles — there are some people who still cling to their silly, completely disproved notion of a flat earth. It’s like for some completely unfathomable reason they made the choice to be stupid and will not be moved from that position. It seemed like an urban legend to me until I saw there were some people with just as stupid and illogical beliefs who I know aren’t part of a hoax: the few people left in the U.S. who still support increasing gun control."
NSW: Bush tucker
"Kangaroo meat is low in fat, tender and delicious (when it's cooked right) and environmentally sustainable. But are Australians ready to stomach eating the national emblem? Good Weekend's Greg Bearup shoots a roo to serve to some slightly apprehensive guests. As we set off into the scrub, up into the back paddocks after dusk, I wonder what two decades in the city have done to me. How will I feel? Will I get the shakes and miss? What if I maim the poor creature and we have to chase it, mutilated, through the eucalypts? Can I actually do this? It's been a long time since I've killed something." RELATED: "Men who kill" | Also in The Age, Melbourne.
AUS: Gillard proposes tough new weapons laws
"Weapons such as knuckledusters, flick knives and stun guns would become much harder to import under a re-elected Gillard government. Switching the election focus to law and order, Labor will release a list of 22 weapons it will effectively ban. Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor (said) it would help make streets safer." RELATED: Labor to crack down on weapons
UK: British PM promises directly elected police chiefs
"The Home Office said the move to create directly elected figures, part of the most radical reform of policing in 50 years, would ensure the forces of law and order listen to the concerns of ordinary people rather than civil servants and politicians. New heads of police forces will be elected locally in order to make them more accountable to the people they serve, ministers have promised."
Found on Canadian Firearms Digest. To subscribe, email CFD and put "subscribe"" in the body of the message.
US: You're being watched while you read this
"Rounding a bend in the road around a local airport the other day, I glanced to the left and saw a cop sitting in the grass off the pavement. The white SUV was easy to see. As I passed him, however, I was struck by a very depressing thought: The day is coming when your car — your very own, much loved member-of-your-family automobile — is going to fink on you, rat you out. Because eventually cars will have a communication system that by law will have to be able to communicate with the police. It will amount to this: You’ll pass by a cop’s location, and your car will tell the laptop in his car how fast you’re going."
US: Gun control: designed to harass
The United Nations is holding secret meetings to work out a global arms trade treaty says the Washington Times newspaper in an editorial published on July 23rd. Gun registration is being promoted despite evidence that it has never kept guns out of the hands of criminals wherever it has been tried, nor has it ever been anything other than a complete failure in solving crimes. Gun control, it's has only ever been designed to make life difficult for honest people. Criminals just ignore it. Submitted by DG.
NSW: Man charged over fatal shooting during armoured car hold-up
"A man has been charged over Monday's hold up on an armoured van, which ended in a gunman being fatally shot by a guard on Sydney's northern beaches. Last night Robbery and Serious Crime Squad detectives went to St George Hospital after receiving a report that a 32-year-old man was admitted yesterday for drug related matters." RELATED: Greens call for semi-auto pistol ban
WA: New gun laws blasted
"State Opposition police spokeswoman Margaret Quirk has criticised Police Minister Rob Johnson for failing to set aside money in the State Budget for computer upgrades to support the government’s gun licensing scheme. Ms Quirk claims the new scheme was introduced prematurely last November, before systems had been finalised and the necessary IT support put in place." Submitted by WM.
NSW: Security guards shoot back — Rhiannon wants semi-auto pistol ban
"Greens Senate candidate Lee Rhiannon is calling for a national uniform ban on semiautomatic pistols after two shooting crimes in Sydney yesterday. A man was shot dead in the bungled armed robbery of an armoured van at Dee Why on Sydney's northern beaches, while in an unrelated incident, shots were fired into a family home in the inner-west suburb of Glebe." Submitted by WM.
RELATED: Alleged suspect shot during hold-up attempt
MEXICO: Guards arm prisoners, then let them out to commit murder
"Guards and officials at a prison in northern Mexico allegedly let inmates out, lent them guns and allowed them to use official vehicles to carry out drug-related killings, including the massacre of 17 people last week, prosecutors said Sunday. After carrying out the killings the inmates would return to their cells, the Attorney General’s Office said . . ." Submitted by WM.
NZ: Air rifle law change under fire
"The Sporting Shooters' Association of NewZealand is frustrated laws around high-powered rifles are to become tougher, saying it will do nothing to curb violent crime. Police Minister Judith Collins announced today she plans to seek cabinet approval for a new law so that would mean people must have a firearms licence to own or possess a high-powered air rifle."
Election 2010: The radical roots of The Greens
"Senator Bob Brown gave some good advice to voters last week. Asked about the preference deal negotiated between the Greens and Labor, the Greens leader declared he agreed "with those people who last time ignored the preference directions from all the parties and put their preferences where they wanted to". Brown said this is what he did."
ZA: 'Hero' workers foil farm attack
"Two men working for an elderly dairy farmer from Schweizer-Reneke in North West prevented a farm attack when they waited for the criminals in the farmhouse and shot one of the attackers in the leg. A 36-year-old police officer from Amalia police station, who was allegedly driving the getaway car, and another suspect, aged 20, will appear in the Schweizer-Reneke Magistrate's Court on Monday on charges of illegal trespassing on a property with the intention of committing a crime."
NSW: Suspect dies in robbery attempt
"A robber has been shot and killed and an innocent bystander wounded during an attempt to steal cash from an armoured security van outside an RSL club on Sydney's northern beaches, police say. Emergency services responded to reports of several gunshots being fired on Pittwater Road, Dee Why, about 1.30pm (AEST) on Monday during the failed robbery. One man was shot in the chest and died at Royal North Shore Hospital a short time later." RELATED: Suspect shot dead during hold-up
Election 2010: Moving forward, trust me
"The term “moving forward” is employed by politicians when they’ve done something they don’t want to dwell on for any number of reasons, usually because they fear close examination will put them in a bad light. So they urge us not to live in the past, even if the past is only a matter of a couple of weeks ago, but rather to forget everything we ever knew about what they’ve just done, and “move forward” with them into a rosy and sustainable future."
Election 2010: Gillard slumps in poll but Labor retains lead
"The latest Newspoll shows a slump in support for Prime Minister Julia Gillard, but Labor still holds an election-winning two-party preferred lead. The figures, published in The Australian this morning, show the Coalition overtaking Labor in the primary vote while Tony Abbott is closing in on Julia Gillard in the preferred prime minister stakes."
TAS: The fox that wasn't there?
"More than a decade after the reported introduction of foxes to Tasmania many people believe that foxes are established, yet others believe that a breeding population does not exist and never has. The elephant in the living room is that a number of things don’t seem to add up and the living room floor is about to collapse if we ignore these things for much longer."
NZ: Government to crack down on air guns
"Owners of high-powered airguns will require a firearms licence within a matter of months, the Government announced today. The move follows the deaths of undercover police officer Sergeant Don Wilkinson, who was shot and killed with an air rifle in 2008, and Auckland man Keith Kahi, who was shot and killed earlier this month. The change would apply to pre-charged pneumatic air guns, but not older-style, spring-loaded airguns, guns powered by CO2 cartridges, BB guns or paintball guns."
AUS: Pro-gun firebrand considering a return to politics
"Former political firebrand Pauline Hanson says she would consider rejoining the Liberal Party if asked. While on the Gold Coast promoting her new career as a motivational speaker, Ms Hanson didn't rule out entering politics again. "We'll see if Tony Abbott wants to give me an invitation to join the Liberal Party,'' Ms Hanson told Channel 10. She also weighed into the election campaign, urging people to steer clear of the nation's other famous redhead, Prime Minister Julia Gillard. "I am warning people against voting for Julia Gillard," she said." Wouldn't hold my breath waiting for Tony Abbott if I were you, Pauline.
NZ: Gun homicide drops faster than Australia or Canada
"Gun killings in New Zealand have declined the most in an international comparison - even though this country has less strict licensing laws than Canada and Australia. A forthcoming article in the peer-reviewed Journal of Interpersonal Violence, published by United States-based Sage Publications, found New Zealand had "the most pronounced decline in firearm homicide over the past two decades". The study suggests unemployment rates and the availability of heroin are more significant factors in firearm homicides than gun control."
UN: Rebecca Peters resigns from anti-gun NGO (NRA Video)
Rebecca Peters has announced her resignation from the anti-gun Non-Government-Organisation IANSA for undisclosed reasons. There are rumours of friction within IANSA. This is not the last we shall see of Ms Peters, a committed antigun campaigner, she is bound to pop up again somewhere soon. Click on the headline to watch an NRA news video.
US: Extremist group launches campaign to ban all lead bullets
"As announced in a recent fundraising letter to its members, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) will launch a “once-in-a-lifetime campaign” this summer to “ban all lead bullets everywhere in the United States.” Make no mistake, hunters and shooters are in the crosshairs of this extremist group. . ." 2407
UK: MPs announce firearms investigation
"Incidents in Northumbria and Cumbria, involving Raoul Moat and Derrick Bird respectively, have prompted the study into firearms laws by the committee, in addition to a review currently being carried out by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), which is looking at police use of firearms. The committee will examine the extent to which legally-held guns are used in crime and whether licensing rules are adequate. The investigation will also look at proposals to improve information-sharing between doctors and the police in respect of gun licensing"
WA: Attempted murder trial delivers 'endangering life' verdict
"Two gunmen charged over a shooting that left former Gypsy Jokers president Lennard Kirby with bullet fragments in his lungs have been found guilty of endangering a person's life. Ben Zuideveld, 31,and Khai Vo, 30, were found not guilty of the more serious charge of attempted murder. The jury took six and a half hours to reach the verdicts after a joint Supreme Court trial that lasted five days. During the trial, the prosecution alleged that Mr Vo had intended to shoot dead Mr Zuideveld's friend, Mr Kirby, during a failed bid to collect a debt from Mr Zuideveld, who owed up to $50,000 for a "commodity"
AUS: Political party firearms policies (Headline not linked)
Trying to work out the firearms policies of the various political parties is a thankless and difficult task. Many do not include a pacific policy on firearms on their websites.. They do this deliberately, we think, to dampen debate. There are a couple of political parties that are definitely on our side; one is the LDP - click here for their firearms policy. The Shooters Party now known as the 'Shooters and Fishers Party' is another. The S&F Party's firearms policy, with shooting right at the top, is here. The Australian Fishing and Lifestyle party is s bit slow off the mark. Their policy page as of Friday evening, 23/7/2010, says to come back later. The Liberals don't appear to have changed much, and Julia Gillard's thoughts are set out here: RELATED: Julia Gillard's tribute to John Howard's gun laws
AUS: Government plans to spy on Australians, then censors report
"The federal government has censored approximately 90 per cent of a secret document outlining its controversial plans to snoop on Australians' web surfing, obtained under freedom of information (FoI) laws, out of fear the document could cause "premature unnecessary debate". The government has been consulting with the internet industry over the proposal, which would require ISPs to store certain internet activities of all Australians - regardless of whether they have been suspected of wrongdoing - for law-enforcement agencies to access." Australian's must decide whom they trust least and vote accordingly.
EU: German group says gun law unconstitutional
"The group, "No murder weapons as sports weapons," argues that the law puts the interests of sport shooters above peoples' right to life and physical integrity. Two of the complainants, Barbara Nalepa and Juri Minasenko, are parents of children who were among the fifteen people killed when a 17-year-old high school student went on a shooting spree in Winnenden in southwestern Germany in March 2009."
WA: "Twiggy" Forrest's spray at The Greens
"A fired up Andrew Forrest has angrily challenged Greens leader Bob Brown as smaller miners consider restarting an advertising campaign against the mining tax. The recent preference deal between Labor and the Greens has created further uncertainty for mining companies in relation to the mining tax, as the environment group could take control of the Senate at the August 21 election. Adding to that uncertainty is Senator Brown’s recent comment that he would try to garner higher taxes from mining corporations."
Election 2010: 'Greens red-faced after sinister plot with Labor'
"The problem with posing as pure in politics is that it’s not possible. Politics is all about compromise, all about achieving the manageable, securing incremental change and working with others to get things done. Posturing as ethically pure and sort of politically neutral is a fiction the Greens political party have done well to maintain for so long. The truth is the Greens political party is an extreme left-wing party."
UN: Small Arms Treaty report
"The Arms Trade Treaty Prep Committee began on July 12, 2010 and will conclude on July 23, 2010. On Friday, July 19, Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) representatives were told that the majority of the meetings would be closed to them. The critical discussions on the scope of the treaty will have no input from any non-governmental entity. Scope is critical in the Arms Trade Treaty process. ...the delegates anticipate that the ATT will cover rifles, shotguns, handguns and ammunition."
Election 2010: It's not only shooters Lee Rhiannon doesn't like
"The Greens have unveiled plans to boost regional rail infrastructure by moving freight off roads and onto trains. The party wants to end the subsidisation of B-double truck registrations and invest the money in the Australian Rail Track Corporation to help create more jobs. The party's New South Wales Senate candidate Lee Rhiannon says redirecting the money into rail freight would provide a huge boost."
VIC: Cop shot in the leg during firearms training
"A policeman has shot himself in the leg at Victoria Police's Glen Waverley Academy. The 30-year old officer, who is stationed with Victoria Police’s elite water police unit, was undertaking firearms training when his gun accidentally discharged while he was holstering it."
Election 2010: "Unreconstructed, addled, myopic, spoilsport Green MP"
"Just by way of setting the scene, anybody living in the Sydney area would be acutely aware of a totally unreconstructed, addled, myopic, spoilsport Green MP by the name of Lee Rhiannon, a Luddite and a NIMBY of the worst sort and an out-and-out “water melon” – someone who is green on the exterior but thoroughly red on the inside. The sort of person who, now that Communism has been shown to be as successful as a tofu take-away stall at a rodeo, has fervently embraced the environment as her sole raison d’etre. If you are (or were) an importer, retailer or user of personal watercraft, then this woman is to you what Enola Gay was to Hiroshima."
UN: Understanding the United nations and gun control
"The U.N. program of action concerning Small Arms and Light Weapons includes restrictions on the manufacturing, storing, transferring and possession of firearms and ammunition if it is not adequately marked. It ensures that once SALW’s program is enacted all licensed manu-facturers must apply a unique marking identifying the country of manufacture, manufacturer and serial number of the weapon. Weapons that lack this unique marking that are confiscated, seized or collected will be destroyed. These restrictions will be enforced on a national, regional and global scale . . ."
US: Australians among shooters from around the world
"Australians Kendell Summers and Greg Riemer couldn't help but take note of the hundreds of shooters along the firing line at the National Rifle and Pistol Matches. With a blazing "pop-pop-pop-pop" noise bouncing back from the assembled shooters, the Australians were listening to the rapid gunfire and admiring the setting."
EIRE: Bill lets public use lethal force on intruders
"The new home defence bill has shifted the balance of rights back to the house owner "where it should always have been", say gardaí (Irish police). Mr Ahern dismissed the suggestion the bill was a "licence to kill". He said it merely allowed for lethal force provided it was justifiable. Asked about the possibility of house owners using guns in self-defence, Mr Ahern indicated this could be seen as justifiable if the burglars were armed but said it would ultimately be a matter for the courts."
Election 2010: Dangers of a Green signal
"One election result is already clear - and makes this debate about Tony Abbott's "secret" plans even more brainless. Wake up, people. The Greens will have the balance of power in the Senate. Labor sealed that deal when it agreed this week to swap preferences with a party that its wiser heads know would devastate the economy if it could. That's politics, I guess. Winning is all, and to hell with the national interest. But how grotesquely irresponsible."
QLD: Residents armed with 11,500 guns
"Toowoomba residents are armed to the teeth with almost 11,500 registered firearms. The city has the third highest number of registered guns in Queensland. Figures obtained through police show a total of 11,435 firearms are registered in the city, which averages to one in every nine people owning a gun." Results from poll conducted by The Chronicle. "Are you worried about the number of registered firearms in Toowoomba?" Yes:7% - No 92% One in nine, eh? How do we get to the other eight? Submitted by RH.
US: "Where has a gun control law reduced crime?"
"In the early 1970s, when Neal Knox was editor and publisher of Rifle and Handloader magazines, he created a bumper sticker that posed the question, "Where Has a Gun Law Reduced Crime?" He knew that the answer to the question was "nowhere." Every credible study has reached that conclusion, and that answer was borne out yet again in 2003 and 2004, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Academy of Science, respectively, both attempted to settle the issue once and for all . . ." Good grief, could the rednecks be right?
Election 2010: Bob Brown strikes up a "very good vibe" with pandas
Bob Brown talks to the animals on his visit to China in 1998 and on a visit to Adelaide Zoo in 2010 claims to have secured Panda endorsement in the federal election. "When I visited the Wolong panda sanctuary in China I struck up a very good vibe with these iconic fellow mammals," said Senator Brown .
Election 2010: Julia, enough with the "moving forward"
"Not often does one feel like holding out a hand in front of a pollie, just as they've tripped, falling towards a precipice, but on this occasion I feel somehow compelled. Like watching an egg-and-spoon race between two knobbly-kneed asthmatic kids. Standing there, seeing one egg wobble in its metal cup and knowing how the tears are going to flow when it hits the ground and the tin trophy goes to the one who held theirs more carefully. Julia, for the love of everything Labor, please stop using the phrase "moving forward"!"
Election 2010: Labor and Greens the same—Barnaby Joyce
"A preference deal between Labor and the Greens was proof the two parties are locked into an informal coalition, Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce says. The Greens on Monday confirmed they would preference Labor ahead of the coalition in an unspecified number of seats at the August 21 poll. In return Labor have agreed to preference the Greens ahead of all other parties . . ." Where you place your preferences is up to you. It is not mandatory to follow a how-to-vote card. RELATED: Greens, Labor swap preferences
US: Suppose you're fond of books. . .
"You like their leather bindings, their fancy endpapers, the way they speak to you of other times and places, the way they feel in your hand. You like the way they smell. Naturally, you’re aware that books are dangerous. Over the long, sad, gory course of history, they’ve resulted in the slaughter of millions. Books like Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Das Kapital, Mein Kampf, even the Bible. But you have too much intelligence to blame the books themselves. You know that books don’t kill people. People kill people . . ."
Election 2010: The Greens should look at replacing Bob Brown
"It was one of the funniest exchanges on television since Homer Simpson was interviewed by Kent Brockman on Smartline about his decision to form a vigilante gang. On The 7.30 Report on Tuesday night, Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown came under some fairly routine questioning from Kerry O’Brien about asylum seekers. O’Brien asked Brown whether he thought that any of the people who arrived illegally in Australia should ever be sent back to any of the countries they had fled. Brown had a “this does not compute” moment and blanked out. . ."
Election 2010: Dawn of a ruthless new era
"Australia has experienced three prime ministers in three years. Are we on the verge of a fourth? Have you managed to keep up? Thirty-two months ago, the national political contest was led by John Howard and Kevin Rudd. Twenty-three months ago it was between Rudd and Brendan Nelson. Eight months ago, the battle was Rudd versus Malcolm Turnbull. As recently as last month, it was Rudd against Tony Abbott. Now it is between Abbott and Julia Gillard. Confused? That might be what they want . . ."
Election 2010: Greens support hard to gauge, but 'the abuse has stopped'
"For Bob Brown, the biggest change in his 20 years in politics is that the abuse has stopped. Where he once travelled the nation expecting to cop an earful, it doesn't happen any more, even in Queensland coal-boom towns such as Townsville and Mackay. "There are people leaning out of bars to say 'G'day, Bob Brown, like what you do'," he says. "It is a real change. People who are not voting for us are respecting us and valuing the role that we have in politics, and that is a good feeling . . ."
Election 2010: Greens and Labor to swap preferences - report
"Labor and the Greens are about to seal a comprehensive preference deal that would boost the ALP's chances of remaining in government while helping the Greens achieve the balance of power in the Senate, Fairfax reports. Greens leader Bob Brown has indicated the deal is all but done, with sources saying it's more comprehensive than that for the last election . . ." RELATED: Greens confirm preference deal
UK: Gun Control Network "seriously worried" about under-18's
"There are 213 gun licences currently in operation in the county for people under 18, out of a total of 787 firearm certificates and 2,633 shotgun certificates. It is legal for under-18s to apply for firearms or shotgun licences, although additional restrictions apply. People under 15 can have their own shotgun licence but can only use the weapon while under the supervision of someone over 21. A spokesperson for national lobbying group Gun Control Network said: “One of our objectives is that we are calling for a minimum age of 18 for the ownership, use and possession of all guns, so we would be very seriously worried . . .”
UK: A horror story from England
"At 2.15 pm on 5/20/09 the author of the Expedient Homemade Firearms books, Philip A.Luty was arrested at gunpoint by the British "North East Counter Terrorism Unit" (NECTU). Philip is the well known author of Expedient Homemade Firearms—The 9mm machine gun. Numerous other books and information on building improvised firearms were available on Philip's website www.thehomegunsmith.com. The website has, I am told, been temporarily closed until security measures can be put in place to prevent British police from tracing and visiting those who downloaded publications from the site . . ."
AUS: Former Qld. state premier rates Howard as one of the great PM's
"FDR heads the list of the five greatest presidents in the latest ranking which, for the record, is rounded out by his distant cousin Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. This got me thinking about the relative merits of Australia's prime ministers. Our first PM was Edmund Barton on January 1, 1901. Julia Gillard is our 27th. She is of course the first woman to hold the highest office in the land, something the Americans haven't yet managed, though Hillary Clinton came close in 2008 . . ."
Always a worry when a state premier or in this case, a former state premier, starts thinking.
AUS: Electoral rolls close 8pm Monday
"More than a million Australians could miss out on voting in the upcoming federal election if they don't enrol to vote by Monday. Anyone not on the electoral roll has until 8pm on Monday to sign up to vote in the August 21 poll, announced by Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Saturday. Those who need to update their details, including any change of address, have until 8pm on Thursday to do so. Under the election guidelines, Ms Gillard has the ability to close the rolls up to 13 days after an election is called. But she was forced to close the rolls early, to meet the minimum 33 days between the close of rolls and polling day . . ." Every thing politicians do is with one eye on the main prize.
EU: Swiss Parliament rejects stricter gun laws
"The House of Representatives, like the cabinet, is urging Swiss voters to reject a people’s initiative that aims to ban military weapons from households. The initiative will now go to the Senate, ahead of a national vote in February 2011. New figures show that Switzerland’s militia soldiers seem to prefer to keep their military guns at home rather than deposit them free at local army bases. Launched in February 2009 by the centre-left Social Democratic Party and a number of pacifist organisations. . ." 1807
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