The NSW Greens have published their policies on their website in preparation for the election in March. Among them is a policy on firearms.
The policy would do Hitler proud, despite owing its origins to the avowed hard leftie (and former convenor of the Coalition For Gun Control), Lee Rhiannon. Here are a few key aspects:
- A ban on all semi-automatic handguns
- Strengthen uniform gun laws and the national register of firearms
- The abolition of existing minors permits
- A national standardised safety firearms training system for all licence categories
- A prohibition on guns being stored in the home except for disabled antiques.
- Guns to be stored at gun clubs, with “firing mechanisms” stored at police stations.
- A ban on the so-called sport of ‘combat shooting’ where participants use semi-automatic handguns to shoot human-shaped targets in simulated scenarios
- General reasons for licence cancellation – not of good character, conviction for an offence involving violence within the past five years, contravene firearm law; unsafe storage, no longer genuine reason, not in public interest due to (defined) circumstances, not notifying of change of address, licence obtained by deception
The policy also seeks to make legal gun ownership increasingly impossible. Some of its provision include the following
- Publicly expose the aims and tactics of the gun lobby.
- Regular unannounced checks by police or another enforcement body to ensure that individuals and clubs are abiding with firearm storage regulations
- Immediate and mandatory police confiscation of all firearms from people who show themselves to be unfit to hold a licence, and where a license has been revoked – this is to apply to both interim domestic violence order and those who are subject to a domestic violence order
- Tough legislation to reduce firearm ownership, education on the dangers of firearms
- All persons seeking a licence required to have no criminal record involving violence, have a character reference from an authorised member of the community and the right of veto by household (immediate relatives or partners) members.
An Australian Gun Owners Blog 
God dam, and I thought the land Down Under was controlled by men, tough men, but by the look of this you lot are spooked by a little old lady, altho the word lady might be a bit off target. How did you guys let her push you about?
Although I am for protecting the environment I’m also a licensed pistol shooter and with the Greens pushing these kinds of ideas they’ll never get a vote from me… ever.
I mean really, what are they on about? Do they think banning semi-auto handguns is going to affect criminals in any way? or is this not part of their agenda? Do they really want to just “get rid of all guns”, and if so, why?
Gun deaths (and in particular – legally owned gun deaths) are such a small part of Australia’a mortality rate that it boggles the mind why these groups are spending so much time and money going after guns. Australia’s health system is in a shambles, hey they could really use the support of such pro-active groups but I guess that’s not as sexy as going after guns.
Personally I’d just like to shoot on weekends at my targets and be left alone but these groups force me to become involved. If they are so intent on trying to take my guns then I’m going to fight them and this seems to be the case right across the shooting hobby these days. All the anti-gun groups have suceeded in doing is to create a strong pro-gun lobby.
Of the points made above, I really got a laugh out of points 6 and 7. On point 6: how do they expect this to work? As if the police aren’t overworked enough, now you expect them to man a counter each and every day as a stream of shooters tromp in to secure the “firing mechanisms” for their guns and then return them at the end of each days shooting. How is this going to work during competitions, especially when travelling away to other states?
And point 7: What pistol shooting sport uses human shaped targets? I guess they are still on the anti-IPSC bandwagon but they need to realise that IPSC don’t use “human-shaped” targets at all. It’s not combat shooting. I guess they would say that playing golf on a golf course is “combat golf”?
Sure you can hit balls up the driving range but where’s the fun in that? It’s more fun to play golf on a golf course – well the same applies to shooting.
Thanks for the Blog – keep up the good work.
Looks like most of this insane policy is already in place in NSW. This shows just how much influence they have on this issue. Not only is the current policy deeply flawed but so is the execution of policy by the authorities, to such an extent that the net effect has zero benefit. The people that drafted this drivel are idiots in the sense that thay have no idea how to solve the perceived problem in practical terms. Overall they are just ideological terrorists, who arrogantly believe that they know better, and that the proletariat must do as they are told. Kinda like the other socialist utopia that turned out to be a can of worms: Marixt/Leninist/Stalinist USSR. Maybe we should export the Greens over there. Paradise for them…..
It isn’t about gun control … its about CONTROL.
It was a greenie conservationist who shot Pym Fortuyn (extreme righwing gay fascist candidate in Nehterlands election).
The greens just want less return fire from people stupid enough to breed hate, destroy the planet and drive SUVs.
Greens are better shots , more intelligent and better educated, and it is natural that they dont want idiots with guns chopping down old growth forests.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6180753.stm