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TTAG reader DM writes:

Australian firearms owners are in for round 2 of the fight over (what remains of) their rights. Not content with being embarrassed after an attempted gun grab was defeated, as we reported on earlier, the socialist anti-gun crowd have decided to up the ante, by recommending a new electronic database that contains information on all firearms owners as well attempting to track the life of all firearms and associated parts . . .

A report by the Law, Crime and Community Safety Council recommended that the new National Firearms Interface (NIF) be implemented and administered by government agency, CrimTrac. Crimtrac is also responsible for management and tracking of data on violent criminals and paedophiles. Apparently, law abiding firearms owners (“LAFO’s”) in Australia who have to pass a criminal background check, are on the same level as those two categories of subhuman.

Already, it’s not difficult to see why this is yet another colossal waste of time and money. But hey, it’s government and should we be surprised?

With sprawling coast lines, a small population and large freight traffic, Australia is a smuggler’s paradise. When you can get 220 Glocks in the postcriminals are making guns at homeguns are coming in through the post with ease, the AFP admit they have no idea how many illegal firearms are being smuggled into Australia and Australian Customs’ history of institutionalised and individual corruption, it’s not hard to see why.

Further, this new database is on top of the firearms registries already in place in Australia, which are essentially a taxpayer funded blackhole for no proven benefit, a security risk, and whose running costs are believed to be between $80-100 million a year. In a laughable attempt to sell the new database, the ABC’s Fact Check (not worth the name) deliberately tried to misquote Senator Bridget McKenzie and claim that stolen guns represented the majority of illegal firearms in Australia. Kind of inconvenient, when the Senate Inquiry unanimously found this to be completely untrue.

Even though the Senate Inquiry’s findings that most guns are imported illegally still resoundingly hold true, the minority that are stolen appear to be getting police assistance and confirm what LAFO’s have been saying for years.
Victoria Police have been forced to admit that criminals had been eavesdropping on their radios and stealing firearms from LAFO’s shortly after attending inspections. Given Australian Police and their outstanding history, be it running guns to crooks or keeping seized guns for themselves, it’s a safe bet that it’s only a matter of time before the radio is compromised and it’s business as usual. This is just the latest in a string of leaks, which have happened in places like NSW and Tasmania, which have compromised LAFO’s firearms security.
It might actually pay instead to follow the recommendations of a report into privacy laws in NSW. The recent “Report of the Privacy Commissioner under Section 61B of the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998” recommended that firearms registration be reviewed and essentially dumped. The same findings which prompted Canada and New Zealand to get rid of their firearms registries.
Speaking on the reports findings, Dr Elizabeth Coombs said “I’m concerned to ensure that the arrangements for the collection, security and storage access to, use and disposal of information relating to the purchase of ammunition or registration of firearm ownership, address any privacy risks including that may lead to safety risks for individuals and the community.” Given the above examples of just exactly that, Coombs’ can rest her defence.
This latest database initiative can really only be concluded as a futile attempt to again go after LAFO’s, while doing nothing of substance to stop the bad guys. This is also the latest in a string of embarrassments for the anti-gun and anti-self defense crowd in Australia. Just a snapshot of what has been seen recently:
Australian LAFO’s, it never ends. Buckle up.

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46 COMMENTS

  1. Hey, leave those government people alone! Convicting actual criminals in court is difficult work. It is far easier to place blame on law-abiding owners of inanimate objects. If we pass more restrictions on those inclined to follow the rules we will all feel better and the incumbents will get re-elected for making tough decisions and getting-it-done.

    After turning the sarcasm off, I feel the need to give my Aussie made SMLE a sympathy hug…

  2. At what point does a government concede failure? In the quest to stop crime by reducing guns, defenseless law abiding citizen are preyed upon beaten, robbed & murdered. When government removes the most cost effective tool, for lawful self defense, government is both cupable and responsible.

    How is it that an entity that prevents lawful self defense, does nothing to promote it, claims it rules over lives while accepting no responsibility. Why to citizens tolerate this?

    • Hah!

      The government NEVER concedes failure. To the proponents and creators of ineffective laws it just means the legislation or regulatory scheme didn’t go far enough.

      Answer: More restrictive legislation and/or more regulation.

      Restrictive firearms laws and regulations that do not achieve their intended goal of stopping or reducing criminal activity and only infringe upon the rights of the law abiding is the perfect example of that failed concept; “We didn’t go far enough, we need more laws to restrict ‘guns'”.

      CA is the perfect example of that failed concept, as is, apparently, AU.

    • A spree shooting followed by an intense need to “do something” about it. Pretty sure this signed the death warrant for gun rights in the UK and Canada, too.

    • Australia became an ultimate nanny state is what happened. The irony is that it’s a fairly socially conservative nanny state at that, complete with porn bans and Internet filtering to the same effect.

    • Ralph I watched Quigley Down Under last night. What a great movie. Australia was on a list of places I wanted to go-not anymore. They deserve to be overrun by the coming muslim hordes…

      • 30yrs ago i wanted to get a home there, after college and a few years working i noticed yhe docisl BS Grow like wildfire, insane Taxes and more n more corruption. After Y2K they went into a liberal social hellhole.

        in the USA we are not far behind.

  3. The control freaks are like the Nazgul or the evil in lord of the rings. They can hibernate, but never be destroyed. Even if we had constitutional carry in all 50 states and the NFA were gone, there would still have to be a “night’s watch”, to borrow from game of thrones. There is always evil beyond the wall.

  4. You are being too harsh. Haven’t you seen how well tough gun laws have worked in Chiraq, oops, Chicago? Come on, if law abiding good guys have to register or turn in their guns I’m sure the bad guys will too. Then we can all live together in peace and harmony.

    • oh yes a librrsl utopea… everyone has the same house, food, car,and income…

      EQUAL OUTCOMES FOR ALL aka HELL!

      i for one will never see it.

  5. Well, if you didn’t own those nasty guns, you wouldn’t have to worry about getting them stolen, would you?

    If you hadn’t worn that short skirt, you wouldn’t have been raped, would you?

    It’s your own fault.

  6. Dear NRA Penis Compensators terrorists who are a threat to america.

    Australia is peaceful and safer without your perverse disgusting and outdated “right” to own guns.

    The civilized world doesn’t want your gun laws.

    Australia doesn’t want to become a nightmare infested shithole like NRA-land america.

    Your racist tiny dick misanthropic nitwits people are the real sheeple that believe having a gun will protect you from the big bad boogeymen when in the end it will end up being used to harm yourself or a loved one.

    Studies have actually shown having a gun in the home does not make you safe.

    Your “right” is nothing but pure madness & threat to the civilized world.

    Criminals would not have guns if you didn’t.

    We’ve been needing to have laws like theirs.

    They and the civilized world have something you incestuous hillbillies don’t have which is a better education system and a ability to feel safe.

    I just got back from Australia and I’m happy to say I can safely walk outside at night and not worry about some NRA Gun Humper from shooting up innocent people. As if the people or the police have had enough problems with NRA members harassing them.

    Please grow a brain and wake up you moronic barbarians.

    Signed, Me and The rest of the civilized world.

    • Fun fact: Australia now has more guns than ever, and the gun culture is growing rapidly. We are also getting very organised, with the biggest organisation, the SSAA growing several times faster than the population, and several pro-gun political parties getting seats in the government.

      The gun ban also had no effect on our murder rate, which has been steadily dropping many years before the gun ban. Every time a criminal could not get his hands on a gun he will use a knife instead. Don’t believe me? Check these statistics from a completely unbiased and reputable source.

      http://www.aic.gov.au/statistics/homicide.html
      http://www.aic.gov.au/statistics/homicide/weapon.html

      Oh, and criminals have guns, over 260,000 of them in the black market at the very least here in Australia, or around 1 and a bit per 100 people.

      • It is actually quite funny, that the SSAA and another shooting team from Australia come to the Bianchi Cup every year. We once asked how they afford it, their shooting organization paid at least part of the trip because they are part of their shooting team.

        While here in America the bastion of shooting if you are selected for Team USA by USPSA or NRA. At best you get a shirt. No match entries, no help with travel expenses.

    • Your insults are sophomoric and don’t speak well for your intelligence, level of analytical ability or credibility. They make you sound like a misfit high schooler who is just parroting things anti gunners say without really understanding them. You fascination with the size of sexual body parts either means you have an unhealthy fixation with that, you are just out of good arguments, or both.

      Like it or not, gun ownership and use is a right in this country, protected by the Second Amendment and affirmed by the Heller decision. It is not going away.The number of guns in this country makes getting rid of them politically and logistically impossible.The number of guns out there is increasing at an amazing rate. Your point of view is losing. Your kind have become irrelevant ranters.

      Also, there are also independent studies that show the opposite of: “Studies have actually shown having a gun in the home does not make you safe” and “Criminals would not have guns if you didn’t.” People who don’t think critically always just choose the studies that agree with their prejudiced point of view.

      If you like Australia, you should move there. We won’t miss you.

    • Poe’s law comes to mind.

      A post so profoundly ignorant and ridiculous, I honestly can’t tell if it’s the work of a satirist or a genuine moron.

    • Your whole rant was silly, but this in particular stuck out:

      “Criminals would not have guns if you didn’t.”

      In the article you are responding to, it listed several instances of gun smuggling and homemade gun manufacture in Australia. That completely demolishes your assertion.

    • Why are antis always so preoccupied with the penis size of other men?

      Take a break from the dick-gazing, dude, stop the magical thinking, and grow up.

      • Just envy, the same way they’re so angry and vitriolic because they know how cowardly and weak they are, and envy gun owners’ confidence and sense of responsibility.

    • Criminals would not have guns if you didn’t.

      And rapists wouldn’t have sex if women weren’t always tempting them.

      Tell you what: you start doing something about that woman problem (some people say burkas are just the ticket), and when you’ve got them under control, then you can come back and talk about how it’s my fault some criminal asshole stole somebody else’s stuff.

    • Well, we have at least one descendant of the criminal class who can actually string together a sentence in the Queen’s own.

    • now we know what happens to people who live in a country that is upside-down; constant blood rushing to the head makes one a blithering idiot (or perhaps the british term “blighter is more appropriate).

    • Do the rest of society a favour mate and grow up! If you don’t like living in a country where people can own firearms and carry them then leave, there’s plenty of countries around the world that would welcome you with open arms and treat you to a life without guns. They are Indonesia, China, North korea and Iran.

    • I left Australia because of this mentality.

      I now own a lot of guns (not the US), and where I live is a lot safer than just about anywhere in Australia.

      I’m sorry Mr Argon is such a cretin and uses our name in vein (he obviously doesn’t live in Oz).

  7. Awwww, sh*t. I’m moving there when I retire in a few years. NOT looking forward to giving up some awesome guns to be legal there.

  8. To be fair, we can’t expect foreign countries to comprehend freedom the way Americans do (real Americans anyway, not progressives). They’ve never lived in a free nation so they can’t understand it. Remember, there is no “free world,” just economically allied nations that have adopted knockoff constitutions that mirror ours, but fail to grasp the true intent. It’s like me getting a kanji tattoo, watching 10 hours of anime a day, and saying that I’m pretty much Japanese.

    Countries like Canada, Australia, and the UK like to pretend to be free, but then chicken out and balk when things symbolic and practical of true freedom, like gun rights, are put on the table. Push comes to shove, the “free world” will always revert to tyranny, and the loyal subjects will applaud.

    • Well, a lot of people are like that – many of them live in ‘the bush’ and have definite ideas about liberty, freedom and gun ownership. It’s just that oodles of immigration and corrupted public education have turned the other (mainly urban) demographic the other way, and their voting power wins.

  9. Well, they certainly don’t have the military or LEO force to watch all the coast. Someone from an armed Western country should go take them over before ISIS gets it.

  10. There will be, if there aren’t already, a massive underground for gun deals and ammo sales. Aus. is making for a less safe, not more safe environment.

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