Yeah, you’re right.
I think today what needs to change is that only gun clubs themselves should be able to own guns, not members of gun clubs.
Comment on Anthony Albanese must show the same determination as John Howard following the Port Arthur massacre
fizzle@quokk.au 2 days ago
One failure in the 1996 National Firearms Agreement was that it allowed membership of a target shooting gun club to be a valid reason for obtaining a gun licence. This was a serious mistake. Gun clubs were immediately flooded with applications for new members, and the membership fees have helped to support shooters’ parties in state parliaments and to fund gun lobby groups who have a vested interest in weakening gun laws and promoting the sales of more guns and ammunition.
I dont really think this is a fair assessment.
Yes its a concession that allowed some people to have some weapons, but in exchange they had to be connected to a club.
Its easy to forget that at the time, while these laws had a lot of support, there was still a very strong opposition. A significant portion of the population felt the way Americans would - that their rights were being taken away and that it was authoritarian over reach.
Maybe things have changed now, and maybe its time to dial up regulation of gun clubs, but in 1996 the govt of the time did what they could with that legislation.
Tenderizer@aussie.zone 1 day ago
Dimand@aussie.zone 2 days ago
There is some truth to this though the author is leaning pretty heavily one way.
To be a member of a sporting club I need to be a paid SSAA (Sports Shooting Association Australia) member. And the SSAA lobbies for changes in gun restrictions that I fundamentally disagree with.
This is one of the main reasons I quit my membership and went rec hunting only when I renewed my license.
Mountaineer@aussie.zone 2 days ago
Rowland Browne is a well established anti-gun nut, who other pro gun control individuals feely uncomfortable associating with.
This organisation that he’s Vice Chairman of? www.guncontrolaustralia.org ? You could fit their active members in a Kia Carnival.
What they do have is a website and a fax machine, and they REGULARLY spam all the media outlets with “press releases”, which those media outlets publish on a slow day.
According to Mr Browne, anyone who wants a gun for any reason is guilty of wrong-think.
“How dare thousands of wrong-thinkers band together to stop righness!”
We’re past the point of diminishing returns on gun control in Australia, but Mr Browne won’t be happy until there isn’t a single gun, nor the means to make them, and children aren’t playing “cops and robbers” with bent sticks.
I’m a bit surprised we haven’t heard from Phillip Alpers yet.