Gun Control Does it Work?

Re: gun control in Australia

  Hi! Just a short note to let you know how disappointed I was to see you circulating the misinformation re: gun control in Australia. The "statistical data" you express was supplied, presumably, by the NRA. Their campaign to derail gun control in the U.S. was televised in Australia and roundly condemned here for its inaccuracy and distorted statistics. Please check primary sources before running such stories. What Americans choose to do about gun ownership is your business, but make your choice based on facts not offensive fiction. Yours sincerely, Theseus McLean. Adelaide.

Dear Theseus,
 

Webmasters reply:
Thank you very much for your letter.  I am very surprised to hear that this data is not correct.  Can you please tell me what the true numbers in crime are.  Today, here, a newscast was talking about how the officers want the guns off of the streets.  Two days ago one of the neighbors cows was loose in the road, I was forced to call the police because of the dangers of an all black cow on the road at night.  I was privileged to talk to the officer for almost an hour.  He said that 8 out of 10 officers here are for people having guns, assault guns were ok and even concealed weapons were something that the police wouldn't mind.   What is the truth?  Do the officers want guns off the street or do they want more people to have guns?

I will place your letter on this page as an opposing view and I really appreciate it.   I do know that having a gun saved my behind twice so far.  I'm glad that I have one.

If you have any more information on this matter or more comments please send them to me.  I'm just looking for the truth.

Thanks again,

C. Jeff Dyrek, webmaster

Subject:  Gun Control

  Greetings from Newark on Trent, England.
We too have suffered the confiscation of our personal handguns by Government decree. 

On the local, (Nottingham) news tonight, I noted that there had been 13 incidents of shootings involving hand guns in two local areas, (thought to be drug related), the Police response is to put armed Officers into the area.

It seems that the Police can only carry out their duties if they are armed, but honorable and law abiding citizens are not allowed the means to defend themselves. I hope that this situation is not repeated in the U.S. We have a rising tide of burglary, (in occupied premises), since the hand gun ban, and I'm sure that you would suffer similarly if the anti - gun lobby has it's way.

Good luck! Gordon Pidcock 

It has now been 12 months since gun owners in Australia were forced to  surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed, a program costing  the government more than 500 million dollars. 

And now the results are in: 
Australia-wide, homicides are up 3.2 percent; 
Australia-wide, assaults are up 8.6 percent; 
Australia-wide, armed  robberies are up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent). In the state of  Victoria, 
homicides with firearms are up 300 percent. 

Figures over the previous  25  years show a steady decrease in armed robbery with firearms (changed  drastically in the past 12 months). There has been a dramatic increase  in break-ins and assaults of the elderly. 
Australian politicians are on the spot and at a loss to explain how no  improvement in "safety" has been observed after such monumental effort and expense was successfully expended in "ridding society of guns." Bet  you  won't see this data on the evening news or hear your governor or  members  of the state Assembly disseminating this information. It's time to  state  it plainly: Guns in the hands of honest citizens save lives and   property and, yes, gun-control laws only affect the law-abiding citizens. 

Dear Michael,

Thanks for the great link.  Even though I am a gun advocate and guns have protected me and my girlfriend from being beaten three times now it doesn't mean that having guns makes the average population safer.  I always like to hear the truth even if it isn't the truth that I believe.  But, I do know that showing my gun to the cowboys who we clearly overheard talking about how they were going to rape her and beat me stopped them dead in their tracks and their reply to me was, "yes sir, no sir, thank you sir."   The punk kids that were going to beat me after I turned them for stealing my stereo system were also stopped when I pulled out a Mini-14 with banana clips.  The man that was trying to break into my van ran like hell when I stuck a 357 magnum in his face was stopped by my having a gun.  The dog that was going to jump me also knew what a gun was and stopped in his tracks.  I can read all of the statistics but I do know that owning a gun stopped people from hurting me. 

But there is one more thing.  When I sold my house in California, I looked at my Mini-14 and said, why do I need this.  The truth is, living in California, I needed a gun, but living in Illinois, I don't need a gun.

Thanks a lot,  I placed a link on the first page of the gun control pages.  I do believe one reason I need a gun, however, is because scum bags also have guns.

Have a very merry Christmas,