straightshooter wrote:The UK banned handguns by decree.
In NSW I think eventually the same will happen except the process will be "death by a thousand cuts".
I believe the UK ban was in response to a massacre but I don't know if the perpetrator was licensed or not.
Like the UK, here we have had changes made to firearms laws following shootings by licensed gun owners. The international student at Monash University who shot his fellow students should never have been granted a licence or allowed to purchase pistols because he had major mental health issues. As for that tool John Edwards who shot his kids, the police and registry clearly screwed up given his long history of family violence and failed attempts by his wife to get the police and family court to help her; hopefully they will learn to do their jobs properly. However, it is easier for politicians to ban pistols than it is for them to create an efficient and effective regulatory system.
I am not confident that our public servants/police have the ability to prevent mentally unstable people from obtaining firearms or seizing firearms from any licensed owners who develop personal issues which unhinge them. As a result, I think it's probably just a matter of time before we have another shooting by a licensed owner, which will trigger further tightening or an outright ban.