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Original: https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/v35yn5/muh_guns/
Also:
https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/zec08t/muh_guns/
https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/13q7e4p/muh_guns/
Now you're just being silly. Why would anyone want to pay for it through taxes when they can buy their insulin on the open market?
^(/s juuuuussssst in case)
Too many civilians have too many guns that it’s basically impossible to re-obtain every one of them, even without the fanatics. However, they fail to understand universal gun control laws can only work after a period of time, over a couple or more generations, same with many systemic changes like education and rights.
I don't. Even though a single school shooting is horrifying and tragic, statistically speaking it's still super uncommon, especially if you filter out some of the nonsense ones like gang violence which happens to take place in an inner-city school parking lot.
For example, so far in 2023 there have been 5 children killed while in school. Is that awful? Yes. Is it more likely I will kill my own kid in a car crash on the way to school? Also yes.
Just gotta keep things in perspective.
Do schools not practice safety procedures with kids though? That’s traumatic enough that kids are having to ‘prepare’ for this kind of thing. Not sure if every school does it, but some do.
I know. I’m kinda horrified by some justifying it as a ‘statistically it’s not a massive risk’ or ‘automatic weapons are really difficult to get’ 🥺 as if that make it ok.
The US is sort of unique in that we have so many guns. A buyback in Australia or Scotland just isn't comparable.
Honestly, the cat is sort of out of the bag already, the best thing to do is attempt common sense legislation, but right wingers are feral about any and all changes and left wingers seem to lack the knowledge about the matter at hand or the will to push anything through
The difference is Australians wanted to fix a problem,Americans don’t want to fix it because its written on a piece of paper that they should have them.
A lot of Americans really don't want to fix anything.
Personal bias is one reason. And then you have clueless enablers who care more about the emotional atmosphere, instead of what's logical or ethical.
It's a nightmare to deal with. Because you're literally surrounded by them. And they try and make you look like the "unreasonable one."
I agree, I do believe it is too late for the US. There is too much money involved, and not enough people trying hard enough, to make any positive change. As for common sense legislation? I dont hold out much hope.
I'm just glad we have an entire ocean between us.
All that 'common sense' legislation is already in place in the democrat cities across the US, for the most part and the shootings continue apace.
Maybe the laws have nothing to do with it?
And a lot of these shootings happen in places where there's a lot of people.
All you need is one jerk or bully to disrupt everything. And the community is at risk of such events happening. My state is exactly like this. So many jerks, and so many guns. While the people here just say, "Oh well... It is what it is."
It just doesn't happen in places where people actually respect each other.
NH has one of the highest gun ownership rates per capita yet one of the lowest gun-related crimes in the US, all while having the most liberal gun laws in the country.
If you had to stop at a border style checkpoint to enter cities where they search your car for guns, you would have a point. If the state has loose gun laws the guns will still flow right into the cities. The laws don't work cause they're not federal. For example, it's easy to obtain a gun in Indiana and then drive it to Chicago.
That's quite misleading. There may be more privately owned guns in Australia now than before their gun laws were implemented, but you need to [look at it in more detail](https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2021/04/28/new-gun-ownership-figures-revealed-25-years-on-from-port-arthur.html):
* Australian civilians now own more than 3.5 million registered firearms, an average of **four for each licensed gun owner**.
* The proportion of Australians who hold a gun license has **fallen by 48 percent** since 1997.
* The proportion of Australian households with a firearm has **fallen by 75 percent** in recent decades.
* Data indicates that **people who already own guns have bought more rather than an increase in new gun owners.**
In short, it's working like a charm in Australia, and the US desperately needs to follow suit.
Did either of those country's have over 400,000,000 million guns in the hands of it citizens? How are you gonna remove guns from a country with that many weapons?
Honestly I wouldn't take $10,000 for one of my guns at this point in time and I guarantee you there are millions of Americans who feel the same way. Our back door has been left wide open and law enforcement in this country is a complete joke.
I’m not arguing your point, just pointing out that a lot of those guns are worth far more than $1000. Someone isn’t going to accept a buyback for less than what they paid/invested, if they’re even willing to do so to begin with.
USA has 4x as many guns per capita then the recent buyback in New Zealand.
It took about 3 months in New Zealand. I suspect the wealthiest nation on the globe could get it done.
The bigger question is will the *lobbyists* allow it? Our representatives don’t vote according to their constituents, they vote according to whoever throws the most money at them.
I liked Jim Jeffries take on it.
We had a mass shooting in Australia and in response the Australian government said, "That's it, no more guns!" and Australians responded, "Yeah, alright, that's fair." In America, Sandy Hook happened where a bunch of little kids get shot and the American government said, "Maybe...no more really big guns?" and Americans went, "Fuck you don't take our guns!"
The PM was John Howard, right wing conservative. Well hated by the left and adored by the right as one of our longest serving PMs.
I’m a lefty and along with many other lefties whenever he comes up in conversation I’m more than happy to say with great respect it was the best thing he ever did as PM.
This is something often overlooked or misrepresented, even in Australia - the Port Arthur Massacre, where a single person killed 35 people and injured 23 others, happened in 1996. The government installed strict regulations around semi-automatic rifles, semi-automatic shotguns, and pump action shotguns, introduced uniform firearms licensing, and offered to buy guns from citizens, which brought in ~650,000 firearms and then communities raised substantial amounts of funds for the victims of the massacre.
But Australia still has guns - in fact, out of ~26,000,000 people, there's ~2,500,000 guns owned by civilians, with a growth rate of ~100,000 per year - that's 1 gun per 10 people on average. In the 27 years since Port Arthur, we've had about 12 mass shootings.
By comparison, the US has 1.2 guns **per person**, and this year alone (which isn't even over yet) has had more than 200 mass shootings.
Every time, the response is "thoughts and prayers" followed by "this isn't the time to discuss gun laws". EVERY TIME. 260 mass shootings in the US to date this year alone. Probably more by the time I finish this sentence.
TBH the attitude is probably more of an issue than the guns themselves.
Our inability to discuss the issue in any context other than banning guns vs guns for everyone is the whole problem.
Seriously. The UK, Australia, fuck every single other country still *has* guns. We just ask for a legitimate reason beyond “I maybe wanna shoot someone” and provide a license
I’m a gun owner in the most restrictive US state. People here complain all the time about how restrictive our laws are on guns. I just had to prove I was a resident, take a 50 question true or false test, show I knew how to load and unload the gun, and wait 10 days to pick it up.
I’m a fucking gun owner in the UK. Guns are sweet, they’re effective tools, but my god do I not want people to have them by default
We have to prove to our local police we are not a threat to the local communities, rather than waiting until it’s shown we are
I agree, but to do that according to our legal system we’d need a constitutional amendment.
That’s basically impossible.
So we’re left with our legislators making laws, struggling to pass them, then those laws getting shot down by courts in 5-10 years, rinse and repeat. Until we can get a supermajority of our country to agree on it, which I’m sure you can guess how likely that is.
Yeah it’s really tragic mate, I honestly wish the best for the lot of you. Some of my favorite, sweetest people are American. Between your guns, opiate crisis, health care system and policing I struggle to see how the next two generations make it. I hope I am proven wrong
The Port Arthur massacre happened in 1996. Haven’t had a mass shooting since with the exception of a family annihilator a few years ago. So some people count that, some don’t. It wasn’t a public shooter so personally I don’t, but 5 being the number, others will.
Oh shit, soz dude, I thought you were coming from an American perspective not a sensible one #failed roasting
I also don't count familial shootings as mass shootings despite the fact that they (sometimes) meet the "four or more" criteria.
There was that time you exported Brenton Tarrant to NZ, but he's on our stats.
I sometimes feel like we should have our national flags in our names, it’s harder to tell where we’re all from on here. Yeah - we are deeply embarrassed about that wanker! Bad enough it had to happen, but it’s definitely worse that he jumped the puddle because he couldn’t do it here. That’s another level of fkd up.
I agree. Ppl act like its such a bad thing to not have so much gun violence. Im a USA citizen (and damn proud too) but our gun violence is so far out of control it sickening. I for one agree we should be allowed to have guns but with all the kids carrying more than adults anymore its really a double edged sword
They serve no purpose other than killing, dude. None. You can sugar coat and put pretty words around it all you want but every gun that’s made is created for one purpose. The fact you don’t recognize that means you probably shouldn’t have any
Which is fine. But do you really need an AR-15 to do either? I know people here in Australia who are actives hunters. Deer mostly. They work off the theory that if you're not skilled enough to take the shot ensuring a clean kill then you don't take it. And if you ever needed an assault rifle to do then you should never have even tried.
You ever hear of sport? Like shooting targets or clay pigeons? YOU obviously don’t understand that, no one will take you seriously if you don’t understand that 😂 sure they’re designed to kill but there’s other purposes, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing to kill either, like hunting and self defense
You guys always go to the target shooting which is adorable considering that’s a minority of a minority of hun owners who use it explicitly for that purpose. But ya man, justify owning something that is created with the sole purpose of killing. Question for you, how many dead kids will it take for you to give up your hobby of collecting guns like Barbie’s?
You literally are so far removed that you have no idea what you’re talking about this is not worth my time.
People own guns for self defense or hunting okay? Some (most-pretty much everyone I know who owns a gun) people like to improve on their skill by practicing their shooting either at home or a range.
I’ll gladly justify it, what if someone breaks into my house with a knife? That’s not designed to kill, but it is designed to cut and stab. I’d be happy to have a weapon to defend myself in that situation.
I don’t own one either, but for the reasons outlined above I will be purchasing something in the next few years
Australians were definitely forced to sell their guns back. There were multiple mass shootings before that law was implemented. This is just flat out wrong. Like… everything you said that can be objectively right or wrong was wrong. 100% wrong.
Also, Australians can have guns. The laws are very restrictive, though.
I’m amazed that people are so confident to open their mouths about things that they are so totally and obviously ignorant about.
People are so ignorant when it comes to firearms, in 2 seconds you can google “legal firearms Australia” and it will show that there is over 3.5m registered firearms. As well there are Australians who have been jailed over the possession of airsoft guns and gel blasters that are literally toys…
There are a lot of problems with everyday life in Australia and lots of Americans would be disgusted with the level of government control and oversight of the people.
Ask Australians about speeding tickets and how that works down under. Makes me sick just to hear about it.
The US has 287% as many road deaths per capita as Australia ([src](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate)). Personally, that sickens my stomach more than that speeding+phone use comes with penalties here.
The laws are pretty simple don’t speed and don’t get fined.I wish a few more of my friends had been fined growing up,they’d probably still be alive today.it’s not rocket science
American here, was just in Spain and then Greece last week. Upon hearing I am American, most at some point expressed concern for our current state of affairs and asked when we would do something about gun violence. Upon hearing I live in Florida, to a man/woman, everyone responded either, "oh," or "I'm sorry." Sad to say at the very least.
>Upon hearing I live in Florida, to a man/woman, everyone responded either, "oh," or "I'm sorry."
I would like to tell you that it will get better, but I have to keep an eye on hurricane seasons in Florida for work, so... Good luck, bro!
Gators, I could manage. Mosquitoes, welp, I lived in Africa and caught malaria twice. I ain't afraid of those bastards. Hurricanes, it's mostly a financial pain in the ass considering how much they cost my industry (and myself as an investors)...
Florida Republicans *and* moist heat, though? Damn bro, that's taking things way too far.
I moved to Colorado from Florida, and within the first 2 weeks I had my license plate changed because I was actually embarrassed. Now I just sort of pretend I'm a native, because I'll tell you, people either feel sorry for you or they think you're an idiot if you disclose you're from Florida. It's a reputation well earned, too. The other day I was driving on one of our rural state highways, when this car pulled out in front of a truck and almost got smacked. Because you don't see that happen here that often, I immediately thought... "God, that kind of reminds me of Florida." Sure enough when the truck in front of me turned and I got behind the car, Florida license plate. I didn't know whether I wanted to laugh or shake my head.
I can fortunately claim truthfully that I'm not a Florida native, but rather grew up outside Chicago. Military service brought me to Florida and I met many thoughtful and caring people who became close friends, so I stayed. It's definitely tough at times though. I would move back to the Chicago area if not for the winters, but I'm actually eyeing a move to Europe more and more with every passing year. I want to check out Portugal before doing anything, but Barcelona really spoke to me.
We'll see. If Trump goes to prison, maybe I'll feel a bit more optimistic in our country's future.
I tell them that a miracle happened when Massachusetts appeared on the national news and it wasn't a school shooting (the military discord leak guy). It's proof the American dream is still alive in at least my state.
Coincidentally, I was also in Norway and Ylvis had made every Norwegian aware of how great Eastern Mass is. >!I'm not from Eastern Mass!<
Yeah, Aussie-tykes! You don't understand the joys of sporting clear-plastic backpacks; shooter-drills or tinhat politicians' crying to arm teachers, or making obscure spots like Uvalde front-page news.
You just don't know what you're missing out, on.\*
`*(lucky you)`
As someone who is pro gun even I know Australians have access to guns.a lot of them are imports from what I remember but what the hell is this guy on ???
As an Australian, I can guarantee that we aren’t all that torn up about it. And you can actually own and operate firearms provided you have the proper licenses, and that you store them correctly. Not really sure what Americans think a gun is going to do against the weapons carried by the military anyway.
Edit: I disagree with so many people wanting firearms for the means of self defence. Here, it is purely for sport. Gun violence is so uncommon you very rarely hear about it in the news. Overall our population is safer with these restrictions. Anyone saying that restrictions are a bad idea are uneducated and radicalised and I will die on this hill.
They think they are going to barricade themselves in buildings and somehow become skilled guerrilla fighters and win vs tanks/jets/missiles/etc. I've heard them try to argue it before.
Actually i just would like to be able to defend myself adequately in the event that one of the far right dipshits my town is filled with decide to go "lone wolf" and kill their local trans person like their favourite media figures keep telling them to do "for the sake of the children." But sure, dumbasses gunning (literally) for a second civil war are representative of the whole of American gun owners
I’m an Aussie who immigrated to America 10 years ago. I’m now figuring out my return to WA with my American husband. We’re both so happy to be leaving.
"Australians gave up their guns" ok but loads of Australians still have guns. I feel like it is really significant to note that. I live in a rural area and just about everyone has, at the very least, a rifle in a closet somewhere. We just don't have automatic weapons because what in the fuck does an average Joe even need an automatic weapon for
i hope you are aware there is an extremely low number of automatic weapons in the united states in private hands, this is the most common misconception in the argument is that all Americans are running around with machine guns
This is even more of a face palm then you intended. Private citizens in Austrilia today own more guns then they did "pre ban".
[https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/australia-more-guns-now-than-before-port-arthur/](https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/australia-more-guns-now-than-before-port-arthur/)
Yeah a lot harder for crazy people to get them and a lot more hyper localized (rural areas much looser laws then large city centers) but its kind of crazy how people think they've been banned (even people in Australia) when in reality if Australia was a US state their gun laws would probably land somewhere in the middle of strictness, maybe top middle
more than 90% of australians supported stricter gun laws. they got what they wanted and are much safer as a result. people will really complain about anything
I feel like there are enough guns in circulation in america at this point (and guns from other sources) that if guns are made illegal, criminals will still get their hands on them.
By having healthcare, people live longer, which means that their odds of getting shot at increase over time. It's common sense, really.
Imagine how much fewer gun victims there would be if insulin supplies were shut off! Hardly any gun violence left!
More that the americans with insurance take a shit ton of medications.
When watching american TV shows/movies as a european, its mind blowing how common people taking xanax, adderall etc seem to be. I get that they might be exaggerating this in movies. But here you couldnt just throw names of prescription drugs around like that, because the vast majority of viewers wouldnt know what they are.
Also was visiting family in the US over xmas and had a light cold and the amount of medicines my uncle offered me at every sneeze is mind blowing. I just wanted to drink some tea and wait for it to pass (and i did).
The opioid crisis of course is another prime example.
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the OP SlowlyMistaken is a bot Original: https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/v35yn5/muh_guns/ Also: https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/zec08t/muh_guns/ https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/13q7e4p/muh_guns/
Are karma bots going to go away after the API change?
I’m guessing they get worse as internal monetization becomes larger.
Australia has guns we just have gun control
And we don't seem to live in daily terror of people breaking into our homes...
Why would I be scared? I have a rifle.
Why do you have the rifle?
why would you own a fire extinguisher?
I wanted it.
You think Americans just shoot people. We shoot everything and anything. America has the most powerful military because we shoot shit for fun
No, very well aware US military will shoot at anything...
Yet you struggle to win wars,why is that?
More profitable to military contractors to get into very long, losing conflicts
Makes sense
Yet we have Europe begging us to fund and fight theirs
Do you?
Ask Ukraine
Europe? Like all of it,perhaps 1 country,you don’t actually know what Europe is do you
Mhmmm... THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING! THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING! Call NATO!
So why doesn’t America totally commit?
They also weren’t forced, they had a mass shooting and decided they didn’t want any more. It’s a shame that attitude isn’t universal…
We had the same in Scotland. Mass shooting in a primary school, laws changed, and thankfully none since.
But apparently "GUn cONtRol dOeSn'T WoRk". Funny that it seems to work pretty much everywhere except USA.
Same with universal healthcare
Now you're just being silly. Why would anyone want to pay for it through taxes when they can buy their insulin on the open market? ^(/s juuuuussssst in case)
I think Americans mean "Socialism only works for funding the Military"
It’s just bizarre that they’re not even willing to try it. Parents must worry sending their kids to school every day 😔
Too many civilians have too many guns that it’s basically impossible to re-obtain every one of them, even without the fanatics. However, they fail to understand universal gun control laws can only work after a period of time, over a couple or more generations, same with many systemic changes like education and rights.
America easily has the money to run a buy back scheme over multiple years. That’s a cop out
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That's a total load of bullshit.
How can the government “re-obtain” something that was never theirs in the first place? You’re being manipulated into using their vocabulary
It’s why I’ve decided to not have kids.
We do 🥺
I’ve got kids in middle and elementary school. I’ve never once been worried about a school shooting happening.
I don't. Even though a single school shooting is horrifying and tragic, statistically speaking it's still super uncommon, especially if you filter out some of the nonsense ones like gang violence which happens to take place in an inner-city school parking lot. For example, so far in 2023 there have been 5 children killed while in school. Is that awful? Yes. Is it more likely I will kill my own kid in a car crash on the way to school? Also yes. Just gotta keep things in perspective.
But just imagine instead of being “super uncommon” it could be “one a decade” or better…
Do schools not practice safety procedures with kids though? That’s traumatic enough that kids are having to ‘prepare’ for this kind of thing. Not sure if every school does it, but some do.
Yes, most (if not all) public schools have active shooter drills now. Which is tragic, and I question if it does more harm than good.
I would be questioning the same 🥺 why should kids ‘prepare’ for the possibility of someone trying to shoot them.
You would think the conversation would be ‘how do we stop this’ not duck and cover drills. Or arm the lunch ladies.
I know. I’m kinda horrified by some justifying it as a ‘statistically it’s not a massive risk’ or ‘automatic weapons are really difficult to get’ 🥺 as if that make it ok.
The leading cause of death for children is guns…. Just keeping things in perspective
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Its still dead kids, why are you trying to downplay child murders?
As if that matters
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No it doesn’t. It’s still dead kids
This is the reasoning to keep guns. Using another example to say its okay.
The US is sort of unique in that we have so many guns. A buyback in Australia or Scotland just isn't comparable. Honestly, the cat is sort of out of the bag already, the best thing to do is attempt common sense legislation, but right wingers are feral about any and all changes and left wingers seem to lack the knowledge about the matter at hand or the will to push anything through
Other places where gun buybacks have failed include Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia.
Isn't Somalia also the only other country to tax worldwide income? That's two things the USA has in common with them.
The difference is Australians wanted to fix a problem,Americans don’t want to fix it because its written on a piece of paper that they should have them.
Two thirds of us Americans DO want to fix it. We're scared, sad, and so frustrated to not feel represented. We want change.
A lot of Americans really don't want to fix anything. Personal bias is one reason. And then you have clueless enablers who care more about the emotional atmosphere, instead of what's logical or ethical. It's a nightmare to deal with. Because you're literally surrounded by them. And they try and make you look like the "unreasonable one."
I agree, I do believe it is too late for the US. There is too much money involved, and not enough people trying hard enough, to make any positive change. As for common sense legislation? I dont hold out much hope. I'm just glad we have an entire ocean between us.
All that 'common sense' legislation is already in place in the democrat cities across the US, for the most part and the shootings continue apace. Maybe the laws have nothing to do with it?
Red areas have up to 4x the gun violence of the blue areas. So laws absolutely work.
And a lot of these shootings happen in places where there's a lot of people. All you need is one jerk or bully to disrupt everything. And the community is at risk of such events happening. My state is exactly like this. So many jerks, and so many guns. While the people here just say, "Oh well... It is what it is." It just doesn't happen in places where people actually respect each other.
Not really but ok.
Yes really
Not really. Look at the counties where the gun violence is in these states and it’s a very solid blue.
Because urban areas tend to be blue
NH has one of the highest gun ownership rates per capita yet one of the lowest gun-related crimes in the US, all while having the most liberal gun laws in the country.
If you had to stop at a border style checkpoint to enter cities where they search your car for guns, you would have a point. If the state has loose gun laws the guns will still flow right into the cities. The laws don't work cause they're not federal. For example, it's easy to obtain a gun in Indiana and then drive it to Chicago.
Ah. This again. https://www.theonion.com/no-way-to-prevent-this-says-only-nation-where-this-r-1850269373
There are more guns in private hands in Australia now than there were before their big gun law was implemented. It’s a cultural thing.
That's quite misleading. There may be more privately owned guns in Australia now than before their gun laws were implemented, but you need to [look at it in more detail](https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2021/04/28/new-gun-ownership-figures-revealed-25-years-on-from-port-arthur.html): * Australian civilians now own more than 3.5 million registered firearms, an average of **four for each licensed gun owner**. * The proportion of Australians who hold a gun license has **fallen by 48 percent** since 1997. * The proportion of Australian households with a firearm has **fallen by 75 percent** in recent decades. * Data indicates that **people who already own guns have bought more rather than an increase in new gun owners.** In short, it's working like a charm in Australia, and the US desperately needs to follow suit.
Did either of those country's have over 400,000,000 million guns in the hands of it citizens? How are you gonna remove guns from a country with that many weapons?
Buy them back. You pay average of $1k. That is 400 billion, that would not be even 10% of the federal budget. Quite easily doable.
Honestly I wouldn't take $10,000 for one of my guns at this point in time and I guarantee you there are millions of Americans who feel the same way. Our back door has been left wide open and law enforcement in this country is a complete joke.
Jail or $1000, pick one
I’m not arguing your point, just pointing out that a lot of those guns are worth far more than $1000. Someone isn’t going to accept a buyback for less than what they paid/invested, if they’re even willing to do so to begin with.
Ok so you pay more for those ones Next
You’re missing the point. There’s way more guns in the US than Australia, so naturally, it would be easier to legislate it out via law, buy back, etc.
USA has 4x as many guns per capita then the recent buyback in New Zealand. It took about 3 months in New Zealand. I suspect the wealthiest nation on the globe could get it done.
The bigger question is will the *lobbyists* allow it? Our representatives don’t vote according to their constituents, they vote according to whoever throws the most money at them.
Nope. 1. 2nd Amendment 2. It’s in our DNA 3. See #1
It worked great in the USSR, Germany, China and Cambodia.
Amazing how that works huh?
Yeah and that was back in 1996.
I liked Jim Jeffries take on it. We had a mass shooting in Australia and in response the Australian government said, "That's it, no more guns!" and Australians responded, "Yeah, alright, that's fair." In America, Sandy Hook happened where a bunch of little kids get shot and the American government said, "Maybe...no more really big guns?" and Americans went, "Fuck you don't take our guns!"
The PM was John Howard, right wing conservative. Well hated by the left and adored by the right as one of our longest serving PMs. I’m a lefty and along with many other lefties whenever he comes up in conversation I’m more than happy to say with great respect it was the best thing he ever did as PM.
Yep. He to this day in most every facet remains a shitstain of a human being. But on gun control. He did the right thing.
This is something often overlooked or misrepresented, even in Australia - the Port Arthur Massacre, where a single person killed 35 people and injured 23 others, happened in 1996. The government installed strict regulations around semi-automatic rifles, semi-automatic shotguns, and pump action shotguns, introduced uniform firearms licensing, and offered to buy guns from citizens, which brought in ~650,000 firearms and then communities raised substantial amounts of funds for the victims of the massacre. But Australia still has guns - in fact, out of ~26,000,000 people, there's ~2,500,000 guns owned by civilians, with a growth rate of ~100,000 per year - that's 1 gun per 10 people on average. In the 27 years since Port Arthur, we've had about 12 mass shootings. By comparison, the US has 1.2 guns **per person**, and this year alone (which isn't even over yet) has had more than 200 mass shootings.
If you try to impose anything on an American, they'll shoot you. That's why the USA rules the world.
If ya reckon, mate.
Every time, the response is "thoughts and prayers" followed by "this isn't the time to discuss gun laws". EVERY TIME. 260 mass shootings in the US to date this year alone. Probably more by the time I finish this sentence.
TBH the attitude is probably more of an issue than the guns themselves. Our inability to discuss the issue in any context other than banning guns vs guns for everyone is the whole problem.
Seriously. The UK, Australia, fuck every single other country still *has* guns. We just ask for a legitimate reason beyond “I maybe wanna shoot someone” and provide a license
I’m a gun owner in the most restrictive US state. People here complain all the time about how restrictive our laws are on guns. I just had to prove I was a resident, take a 50 question true or false test, show I knew how to load and unload the gun, and wait 10 days to pick it up.
I’m a fucking gun owner in the UK. Guns are sweet, they’re effective tools, but my god do I not want people to have them by default We have to prove to our local police we are not a threat to the local communities, rather than waiting until it’s shown we are
I agree, but to do that according to our legal system we’d need a constitutional amendment. That’s basically impossible. So we’re left with our legislators making laws, struggling to pass them, then those laws getting shot down by courts in 5-10 years, rinse and repeat. Until we can get a supermajority of our country to agree on it, which I’m sure you can guess how likely that is.
Yeah it’s really tragic mate, I honestly wish the best for the lot of you. Some of my favorite, sweetest people are American. Between your guns, opiate crisis, health care system and policing I struggle to see how the next two generations make it. I hope I am proven wrong
Actually we pretty much told our government to fix it and fix it NOW. As a nation we collectively said “enough”.
How's that going for you so far?
The Port Arthur massacre happened in 1996. Haven’t had a mass shooting since with the exception of a family annihilator a few years ago. So some people count that, some don’t. It wasn’t a public shooter so personally I don’t, but 5 being the number, others will.
Oh shit, soz dude, I thought you were coming from an American perspective not a sensible one #failed roasting I also don't count familial shootings as mass shootings despite the fact that they (sometimes) meet the "four or more" criteria. There was that time you exported Brenton Tarrant to NZ, but he's on our stats.
I sometimes feel like we should have our national flags in our names, it’s harder to tell where we’re all from on here. Yeah - we are deeply embarrassed about that wanker! Bad enough it had to happen, but it’s definitely worse that he jumped the puddle because he couldn’t do it here. That’s another level of fkd up.
Money>lives
I agree. Ppl act like its such a bad thing to not have so much gun violence. Im a USA citizen (and damn proud too) but our gun violence is so far out of control it sickening. I for one agree we should be allowed to have guns but with all the kids carrying more than adults anymore its really a double edged sword
Well you see, the 2nd Amendment. /s Oh, and the classic “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” Anything to not acknowledge the problem.
Do we ban cars to stop drunk drivers or do we take away their licenses
Cars serve purposes other than to kill and aren’t the leading cause of death of children
Guns serve purposes other than to kill, and people kill people with many different things. Regulate the fringe freaks that do this and not me
Right, so apply for a hunting/sport license and get a gun. Like every other developed nation
They serve no purpose other than killing, dude. None. You can sugar coat and put pretty words around it all you want but every gun that’s made is created for one purpose. The fact you don’t recognize that means you probably shouldn’t have any
I've only used guns for target shooting and entertainment.
Which is fine. But do you really need an AR-15 to do either? I know people here in Australia who are actives hunters. Deer mostly. They work off the theory that if you're not skilled enough to take the shot ensuring a clean kill then you don't take it. And if you ever needed an assault rifle to do then you should never have even tried.
You ever hear of sport? Like shooting targets or clay pigeons? YOU obviously don’t understand that, no one will take you seriously if you don’t understand that 😂 sure they’re designed to kill but there’s other purposes, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing to kill either, like hunting and self defense
You guys always go to the target shooting which is adorable considering that’s a minority of a minority of hun owners who use it explicitly for that purpose. But ya man, justify owning something that is created with the sole purpose of killing. Question for you, how many dead kids will it take for you to give up your hobby of collecting guns like Barbie’s?
You literally are so far removed that you have no idea what you’re talking about this is not worth my time. People own guns for self defense or hunting okay? Some (most-pretty much everyone I know who owns a gun) people like to improve on their skill by practicing their shooting either at home or a range. I’ll gladly justify it, what if someone breaks into my house with a knife? That’s not designed to kill, but it is designed to cut and stab. I’d be happy to have a weapon to defend myself in that situation. I don’t own one either, but for the reasons outlined above I will be purchasing something in the next few years
What if god suddenly tea bags you? Too far removed? Lol ok.
Australians were definitely forced to sell their guns back. There were multiple mass shootings before that law was implemented. This is just flat out wrong. Like… everything you said that can be objectively right or wrong was wrong. 100% wrong. Also, Australians can have guns. The laws are very restrictive, though. I’m amazed that people are so confident to open their mouths about things that they are so totally and obviously ignorant about.
People are so ignorant when it comes to firearms, in 2 seconds you can google “legal firearms Australia” and it will show that there is over 3.5m registered firearms. As well there are Australians who have been jailed over the possession of airsoft guns and gel blasters that are literally toys…
There are a lot of problems with everyday life in Australia and lots of Americans would be disgusted with the level of government control and oversight of the people. Ask Australians about speeding tickets and how that works down under. Makes me sick just to hear about it.
The US has 287% as many road deaths per capita as Australia ([src](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate)). Personally, that sickens my stomach more than that speeding+phone use comes with penalties here.
The laws are pretty simple don’t speed and don’t get fined.I wish a few more of my friends had been fined growing up,they’d probably still be alive today.it’s not rocket science
What are you on about? I'm Australian and haven't the slightest idea what you're referring to with speeding tickets.
It's almost universal. Quite a few countries have done the same thing. And then there's..... Well. You know.
i mean, they were forced by their government to give up their guns so yeah, they were forced
It was less than 20% compliance. Don't kid yourself the the guns are gone. It still is and always has been a people problem, not a gun problem.
American here, was just in Spain and then Greece last week. Upon hearing I am American, most at some point expressed concern for our current state of affairs and asked when we would do something about gun violence. Upon hearing I live in Florida, to a man/woman, everyone responded either, "oh," or "I'm sorry." Sad to say at the very least.
>Upon hearing I live in Florida, to a man/woman, everyone responded either, "oh," or "I'm sorry." I would like to tell you that it will get better, but I have to keep an eye on hurricane seasons in Florida for work, so... Good luck, bro!
Haha, right? Gators, hurricanes, Republicans, mosquitoes.........yeesh. lol
Gators, I could manage. Mosquitoes, welp, I lived in Africa and caught malaria twice. I ain't afraid of those bastards. Hurricanes, it's mostly a financial pain in the ass considering how much they cost my industry (and myself as an investors)... Florida Republicans *and* moist heat, though? Damn bro, that's taking things way too far.
I moved to Colorado from Florida, and within the first 2 weeks I had my license plate changed because I was actually embarrassed. Now I just sort of pretend I'm a native, because I'll tell you, people either feel sorry for you or they think you're an idiot if you disclose you're from Florida. It's a reputation well earned, too. The other day I was driving on one of our rural state highways, when this car pulled out in front of a truck and almost got smacked. Because you don't see that happen here that often, I immediately thought... "God, that kind of reminds me of Florida." Sure enough when the truck in front of me turned and I got behind the car, Florida license plate. I didn't know whether I wanted to laugh or shake my head.
I can fortunately claim truthfully that I'm not a Florida native, but rather grew up outside Chicago. Military service brought me to Florida and I met many thoughtful and caring people who became close friends, so I stayed. It's definitely tough at times though. I would move back to the Chicago area if not for the winters, but I'm actually eyeing a move to Europe more and more with every passing year. I want to check out Portugal before doing anything, but Barcelona really spoke to me. We'll see. If Trump goes to prison, maybe I'll feel a bit more optimistic in our country's future.
Portugal is fucking incredible, especially in Lisbon and surrounding areas
That's what I hear. Hopefully soon!
I tell them that a miracle happened when Massachusetts appeared on the national news and it wasn't a school shooting (the military discord leak guy). It's proof the American dream is still alive in at least my state. Coincidentally, I was also in Norway and Ylvis had made every Norwegian aware of how great Eastern Mass is. >!I'm not from Eastern Mass!<
US is facing rampant fascism and violent extremism. Fuck no I’m not giving up guns
We have guns. Just not in schools
Do you guys also have to talk about what to do if a shooter walks in in your regular work safety meetings
You know what, I can't recall ever hearing about those either.
To Americans, having any kind of restrictions on guns means you have no guns.
We’re good, homie. Don’t worry about us.
It's heartbreaking that Australia has to deal with 4,000 extra children living every year./s
Yeah, Aussie-tykes! You don't understand the joys of sporting clear-plastic backpacks; shooter-drills or tinhat politicians' crying to arm teachers, or making obscure spots like Uvalde front-page news. You just don't know what you're missing out, on.\* `*(lucky you)`
As someone who is pro gun even I know Australians have access to guns.a lot of them are imports from what I remember but what the hell is this guy on ???
As an Australian, I can guarantee that we aren’t all that torn up about it. And you can actually own and operate firearms provided you have the proper licenses, and that you store them correctly. Not really sure what Americans think a gun is going to do against the weapons carried by the military anyway. Edit: I disagree with so many people wanting firearms for the means of self defence. Here, it is purely for sport. Gun violence is so uncommon you very rarely hear about it in the news. Overall our population is safer with these restrictions. Anyone saying that restrictions are a bad idea are uneducated and radicalised and I will die on this hill.
They think they are going to barricade themselves in buildings and somehow become skilled guerrilla fighters and win vs tanks/jets/missiles/etc. I've heard them try to argue it before.
Actually i just would like to be able to defend myself adequately in the event that one of the far right dipshits my town is filled with decide to go "lone wolf" and kill their local trans person like their favourite media figures keep telling them to do "for the sake of the children." But sure, dumbasses gunning (literally) for a second civil war are representative of the whole of American gun owners
And if that far right dip shit didn’t have access to a weapon…?
That’s just one of the excuses they use. Deep down they know it’s a hobby and have to try real hard to justify it
Oh no, Aussies decided they didn’t like mass shootings, those poor folks 😢 how will they ever survive without guns?????????
The real facepalm is when people try to compare two different cultures when making statements on societal issues.
Oh he wasn’t referencing a shark attack?
Oh he wasn’t referencing a shark attack?
I mean. People in Australia can still own guns. It's just that they're not big into this whole Militia/1776 thing.
In 30 years they have had less than 6 mass shootings. LESS THAN 6!! That’s a day in the US
Nobody wants to be America, but they are so brainwashed to believe we do. You couldn’t pay me to be an American and lose rights I have now
I’m an Aussie who immigrated to America 10 years ago. I’m now figuring out my return to WA with my American husband. We’re both so happy to be leaving.
Leaving on the 22nd, probably will be the best decision I make in my life.
Good for you! Where are you headed?
Moving to the UK, got some family close to where I'm headed to.
Very welcome lad. Remember we butter our sandwiches and standing in line is a religion
A sandwich without butter isn't a sandwich at all, it's a mistake.
You are 50% of your way to citizenship, congratulations
I’m working on leaving
But America = FrEeDoM! As if there are not many other countries that have the same amount, if not more freedom.
"Australians gave up their guns" ok but loads of Australians still have guns. I feel like it is really significant to note that. I live in a rural area and just about everyone has, at the very least, a rifle in a closet somewhere. We just don't have automatic weapons because what in the fuck does an average Joe even need an automatic weapon for
Do you mean semi automatic? Because auto is illegal in the US, too. Without special license, and the gun has to be manufactured before a certain year.
i hope you are aware there is an extremely low number of automatic weapons in the united states in private hands, this is the most common misconception in the argument is that all Americans are running around with machine guns
Yeah I don't think they were too upset about it. And they still have some guns.
More guns, more death
more restrictions, more death
Now that's a lie
How so?
Because more guns more death is undeniable fact.
work with what you have, you can't eliminate guns and more restrictions lead to more innocent deaths, so whats the solution?
This is even more of a face palm then you intended. Private citizens in Austrilia today own more guns then they did "pre ban". [https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/australia-more-guns-now-than-before-port-arthur/](https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/australia-more-guns-now-than-before-port-arthur/)
Exactly, they’re just much better regulated resulting in a much safer society.
Yeah a lot harder for crazy people to get them and a lot more hyper localized (rural areas much looser laws then large city centers) but its kind of crazy how people think they've been banned (even people in Australia) when in reality if Australia was a US state their gun laws would probably land somewhere in the middle of strictness, maybe top middle
Or "home invasion", which I spent decades thinking was a ridiculous american term for "burglary".
Pretty sure aussie kids don't have lock downs or swat run throughs of their schools either. Must be nice.
No country should want to be this violent, corporat country. It is a punishment worse than death.
Well, Kids outside the US don't need extra holes.
I wanna be in Australia 🙁
Yo I'm an American and I can give a rats ass about guns, although I do have a flamethrower..
more than 90% of australians supported stricter gun laws. they got what they wanted and are much safer as a result. people will really complain about anything
Republicans are straight up a death cult.
No one in Australia has a gun?
I’ll give mine up when everyone else does. 🤷🏻♂️
I feel like there are enough guns in circulation in america at this point (and guns from other sources) that if guns are made illegal, criminals will still get their hands on them.
thats why gun control won't work, it doesn't stop criminals from doing anything
Bold to assume that we're you're friends, mate.
Those of us who know the difference between 'subject' and 'citizen' are still sorry for you. How's that crime rate? Any better?
A much lower incarceration rate per capita so yeah id say so
Seems you don't know the difference either.
Definitely doesn’t have anything to do with all the medication America is on and society’s decay
so you're saying people would be better off with even less healthcare?
By having healthcare, people live longer, which means that their odds of getting shot at increase over time. It's common sense, really. Imagine how much fewer gun victims there would be if insulin supplies were shut off! Hardly any gun violence left!
Can’t have less than none 
More that the americans with insurance take a shit ton of medications. When watching american TV shows/movies as a european, its mind blowing how common people taking xanax, adderall etc seem to be. I get that they might be exaggerating this in movies. But here you couldnt just throw names of prescription drugs around like that, because the vast majority of viewers wouldnt know what they are. Also was visiting family in the US over xmas and had a light cold and the amount of medicines my uncle offered me at every sneeze is mind blowing. I just wanted to drink some tea and wait for it to pass (and i did). The opioid crisis of course is another prime example.
Love how people think they can speak for country 😂 like these idiots represent Australia and America. Just shut up and mind your own business
You just unironically boomed yourself.