Gun laws before 1996

News and events in the media and political arena relating to firearms.

Gun laws before 1996

Post by Tomotron » 28 Apr 2021, 6:53 pm

Hi all, since it's the 25th anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre, what were the gun laws like in the various states and territories before 1996? Cheers.
User avatar
Tomotron
Private
Private
 
Posts: 65
Victoria

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by Peter988 » 28 Apr 2021, 7:05 pm

Qld and NSW the gun shop recorded your name and address and off you went.
Peter988
Lance Corporal
Lance Corporal
 
Posts: 193
Queensland

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by on_one_wheel » 28 Apr 2021, 7:18 pm

I was about 17 in 96 and can't speak too much about the specifics of our pre 96 laws other than I know hand guns were already difficult to get, safe storage was optional, Kmart sold firearms ... and what a joy it was open a gigantic box of ex military 7.62×39 rounds, loading a heap of 30 shot mags and unloading those rounds as fast as possible with an SKK :lol:

I'm sure some of our older forum residents will be able to fill us in with the ins and outs of our pre 96 rules.
Gun control requires concentration and a steady hand
User avatar
on_one_wheel
Colonel
Colonel
 
Posts: 3561
South Australia

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by Blr243 » 28 Apr 2021, 7:24 pm

There were gun laws but it was like having no gun laws
Blr243
Brigadier
Brigadier
 
Posts: 4479
Queensland

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by womble » 28 Apr 2021, 7:39 pm

Victoria has’nt really changed much, you needed written permission from a property to get a permit for centrefire semi-auto.
Now you need to charge the farmer money to own one, or own the property.

But yes you could buy an sks in the mail from Qld, plus cheap boxes ex military ammo.. and then convert it to full auto etc etc.
Or you could just take the ferry to Tassie and buy anything you wanted really. RPG’s, etc. no i made that up. Or did i haha
Stuff like claymores, grenades, slr’s. Well you know, army cadets, cashies on the weekend.
I dream of a world where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned
womble
Lieutenant
Lieutenant
 
Posts: 2369
Victoria

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by bladeracer » 28 Apr 2021, 7:44 pm

Tomotron wrote:Hi all, since it's the 25th anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre, what were the gun laws like in the various states and territories before 1996? Cheers.


I got asked this exact question a few weeks ago, and luckily thought to save it.

I can only speak from my own experience in WA, SA and Vic. I got my first licence in WA in 1980 at 14, and bought my first air-rifle for competing at PCYC clubs. I didn't require supervision to own it or use it. I was also shooting .22LR on the school oval in Como, in Perth as part of the Army Cadet smallbore team, but didn't own my own rifle as the unit had them. As a Cadet I also drilled every week with a de-milled L1A1 SLR rifle. I went to country SA at 17, and bought my first rifle, a semi-auto Ruger 10-22, my first gun, a Bentley 20" 8-shot 12ga. pump-gun, and my first centrefire rifle, a Remington 788 in .222Rem. My brother is almost two-years younger than me and he also got his first two rifles, a semi-auto Winchester 190 .22LR and a BSA .243. As best I can recall there were no categories, or permits. I saw something I liked, I paid for it and went shooting. A week or so later I'd get the rego ticket in the post. Before I was 18 I owned eleven firearms, including four semi-auto rimfire rifles, and my first milsurps, Swedish M96 and M38's in 6.5x55. I moved back to WA to study at 19. WA then, as now, was not firearm-friendly. They had a "system" of low-power and high-power licencing. Low-power basically was air-rifles, rimfire cartridges, shotguns, low-velocity blackpowder cartridges - .297/230, .25-20, .32-40, .44-40, etc, and a handful of "low-power" smokeless cartridges, like .22 Hornet (and .222Rem possibly?). To own "high-power" rifles required property letters as there was no public land hunting back then either. I didn't have access to properties in WA until I went up to the Kimberley for work. So I got my brother in SA to sell all my firearms as it wasn't worth the trouble to bring them to WA to only shoot at clubs. So I got into IPSC pistols instead, joined a club, did the training over a couple months, and bought a 9mm 17+1 pistol to compete in IPSC. From memory, the training was something like seventeen courses of fire from a holster. You could do as many as possible in a session as long as your instructor was satisfied that you were picking it up, but at the next session you had to repeat the last course you'd done. The the club gave you a supporting letter and you applied for the licence. To maintain the licence required completing "one in eight" shoots, attending a competition at least every eight-weeks. Working up north meant I had to fly to Perth or Darwin for these shoots, although I did attend the local pistol club at Kunnunnura once. They shot that boring "stand and shoot at a piece of paper five times in three minutes" type of rubbish, so I never went back there. While up north I also applied for a .223Rem to hunt on a million-acre property, but it was not approved as "there are plenty of rifles licenced on that property already so you can just borrow one", despite it being illegal to borrow a firearm in WA even back then. Up there, 95% of the firearms I saw and used were unlicenced and owned by unlicenced people. The handful of licenced firearms I saw were licenced for club use only (by contractors who joined a club in Perth before coming up) and being illegally used for hunting (mostly without landowner's permissions). Unlicenced firearms and owners are no threat to anybody, and never were. I only knew two local blokes up there with licences. I also knew three people in Perth that were licenced to carry concealed, one was a PI, one was a pawnbroker, the third was a payroll courier who had been licenced for decades and never gave it up. That was all pre-'96. I kept shooting pistols until '03. Now I'm in Victoria, the most firearm-friendly state, and have a whole lot more firearms than I had as a kid.
Practice Strict Gun Control - Precision Counts!
User avatar
bladeracer
Field Marshal
Field Marshal
 
Posts: 12653
Victoria

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by on_one_wheel » 28 Apr 2021, 7:53 pm

I heard that John Laws was licensed for conceal carry ?
Gun control requires concentration and a steady hand
User avatar
on_one_wheel
Colonel
Colonel
 
Posts: 3561
South Australia

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by womble » 28 Apr 2021, 7:56 pm

They did have laws, regulations, permit to acquire, had to take it to the cop shop register it. All that was in place so you could do the right thing.
But we just were not really monitored. Most the people i went hunting with did’nt have a licence, would just borrow dad’s gun for the weekend. Because it was just an occasional thing for them. Less people, more properties closer to town. A lot of rabbits everywhere.
Farmers more welcoming and trusting. Not many people owned mobile phones. only nerds used the internet.
Police used to be busy chasing criminals. Pretty much every car on the road was doing 10-20k over the speed limit as standard.
Rose coloured glasses though. We had a lot more friends who died. Oh well, at least they lived when they were alive.
I dream of a world where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned
womble
Lieutenant
Lieutenant
 
Posts: 2369
Victoria

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by Bill » 28 Apr 2021, 8:23 pm

Not sure if it was a change in gun laws or more of a tightening of the vibe at the time but when I dropped off a rifle for warranty work and I'd get lent a firearm of my choice off the rack :drinks:
When a guy is digging his own grave, you don’t fight him for the shovel.

Success leaves clues, Fools follow failure !

20 Hornet, 218 Bee, 222 Rem, 256 WM, 6mm ARC, 6.5 Grendel, 6.5x55 Scan, 270 Win, 357 Mag, 358 Win, 9.3x62, 500 A Square
User avatar
Bill
Warrant Officer C1
Warrant Officer C1
 
Posts: 1253
New South Wales

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by Larry » 28 Apr 2021, 8:38 pm

There were a lot of child deaths from accidental discharge because guns were stored in the coat cupboard and loaded. sometimes not so accidental just stupid kids playing games without really understanding the consequences.
Larry
Staff Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
 
Posts: 775
-

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by on_one_wheel » 28 Apr 2021, 9:54 pm

womble wrote:They did have laws, regulations, permit to acquire, had to take it to the cop shop register it. All that was in place so you could do the right thing.
.

There was no PTA system in sa, registration was optional.
Gun control requires concentration and a steady hand
User avatar
on_one_wheel
Colonel
Colonel
 
Posts: 3561
South Australia

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by pomemax » 28 Apr 2021, 9:58 pm

I bought my first single shot .22 in 1968 for $8 from a mate who,s mum told him to get rid of it No Licences in them days and you could take it on the train to go shoot rabbits so long as it was covered . Saved my paper round money till i could buy a Winchester .22 semi with scope and rings few years later $65 brand new. 2 boxes of ammo 100 rounds $1.25 shorts were cheaper

Air rifles were not counted as a firearm they were toys they were sold in the disposal shops.
Walton's , Kmart and many other shops used to have sporting ( firearms)sections

On George st Sydney I cant remember all the shops that sold firearms from Central to the Quay More than 25 gun shops .

On George St near Eddy avenue they was an Arcade with a shooting range in the back used to get .22 shorts 10 for 20 c or 40 c so long as you were 12 you could use it .
Some teacher at school told us if you have a gun you need a licence so after school in 70 -71 went across the road to the police station got a licence $ 2 .

When the cop finished he said next time dont come in in school uniform : ok and by the way you dont need a licence could have told me that before you only need to get a licence for pistol and they cost a lot more pistol licence came in in 1947.

In them days too when you left a town or city (built up area) you would see a sign with a black diagonal wide band no speed limit no general limit like now
pomemax
Warrant Officer C2
Warrant Officer C2
 
Posts: 1165
New South Wales

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by Baronvonrort » 28 Apr 2021, 11:37 pm

In NSW you needed a shooters license to buy guns in a gun shop. To get a license you went to police station and paid a small fee it took about 5 minutes.
With a license you could buy any long gun in a shop no registration or PTA new SKS were less than $400.
You could shoot air rifles in backyards nobody really cared.
You could keep guns under your bed or in wardrobe.

I did have the police visit me around 1988 because i didn't change the address on my shooters license. 2 plain clothes police knocked on my door they asked why i didn't change address on shooters license after i moved i said i forgot and you knew where to find me as i did change drivers license address. It was all cool just a friendly reminder no real hassle.

I was a victim of an armed home invasion in 1985 a drug dealer was a previous tenant in the house i was renting. He wanted to rob him, he shot at me after breaking front door so i shot him with a .22 and he took off. The police visited me next day saying he had surgery was in hospital and wanted to know what happened they thought it was malicious wounding. I told them what happened showed them where his bullet went in my hallway made a statement they said it was self defence. They didn't ask to look at my .22 i wasn't treated like a criminal . They called the next day saying the guy admitted to being on lsd,cocaine and pot while trying to rob me at 3 am and that was the end of that never heard another word from the police about that.
Baronvonrort
Staff Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
 
Posts: 896
New South Wales

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by Blr243 » 29 Apr 2021, 4:05 am

If ever I’m under the influence of lsd cocaine and pot at the same time I must remember not to attempt complex actions eg armed robberies at 3am, instead opting for more simple things like making myself a cup of tea
Blr243
Brigadier
Brigadier
 
Posts: 4479
Queensland

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by Tomotron » 29 Apr 2021, 10:13 am

Thanks for your answers and stories.
User avatar
Tomotron
Private
Private
 
Posts: 65
Victoria

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by disco stu » 29 Apr 2021, 5:30 pm

I was 16 when the laws changed. We had my pops old semi auto 22 that just lived in a cupboard somewhere. No one in my family was licensed.

I went to get a junior license a year or 2 before that, but was told I can't buy firearms or own with junior licence, so I didn't bother, because I could already go shooting with friends etc so nothing would change.

I remember regularly grabbing the 22 with friends and shooting in various places. None of us licensed. Never worried about getting in trouble or neighbors calling police, it was not a stress at all really (or I was a naive teenager). If it was a stress my dad wouldn't have the thing at our house.

I had shot heaps of different things in that time period, no one ever cared as long as the licensed owner was there looking after things. No such things as p650 forms for unlicensed users, you just went with a friend and they showed you what to do. My school even did shooting for sport, got to shoot handguns and everything with that.

I was in air cadets. We matched regularly with SLRs. We would just pick them up from the armoury on the naval base where we met. Being serviceable weapons that were regularly used we were taught how to check they were clear etc. Even got range days where navy guys would take us out and let us go wild with the SLRs handguns etc and we would just shoot until no ammo left.

Most of what I remember about those SLRs was the weight. Got heavy marching around with them for a 15yo kid.
disco stu
Sergeant
Sergeant
 
Posts: 526
New South Wales

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by pomemax » 29 Apr 2021, 5:45 pm

Back in 79 we had a prowler I was working Afternoon shift this guy was round 1 maybe 2 times a week eventually cops were called when MY then Mrs got sick of it cops asked her what she would do if he tried to get in , her response was hit him with tennis racket .
Senior cop in all seriousness asked if I had a firearm '"yer ".
Then hes talking to my mrs If hes comming in via the window ,telling her to fire as many into the bloke as she could then shoot up through the ceiling when she asked why his response I will never forget we dont know witch you fired first the warning shot through the roof or the shots through the bloke .
Different times and different attitudes.
Problem was I did not at the time think he was joking .
This was all going on at about 12 midnight we had 2 huge German Shepard's that would have torn anyone to bits but the cop said dont let the dogs get him. he even advised me to take down the sign beware of the dog if you have a sign up you pre-admit your dog will bite no sign you can always say little fluffy never bit anyone before .
Point of that is gun laws and more than anything ATTITUDES prior to 1996 were totally different even copper were more human IT was a different world
pomemax
Warrant Officer C2
Warrant Officer C2
 
Posts: 1165
New South Wales

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by deye243 » 29 Apr 2021, 10:36 pm

Tomotron wrote:Hi all, since it's the 25th anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre, what were the gun laws like in the various states and territories before 1996? Cheers.

Why bother talking about stuff your never going to get and as for before 1996 semi-autos were still band as it was Julian Knight and his Hoddle Street massacre that was responsible for the banning of semi-autos .
Up until then this country really never had a problem proving it's not a gun issue it's what's between the ears of the average Australian unfortunately these days that is sadly lacking .
User avatar
deye243
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
 
Posts: 2206
Victoria

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by bladeracer » 29 Apr 2021, 11:47 pm

deye243 wrote:
Tomotron wrote:Hi all, since it's the 25th anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre, what were the gun laws like in the various states and territories before 1996? Cheers.

Why bother talking about stuff your never going to get and as for before 1996 semi-autos were still band as it was Julian Knight and his Hoddle Street massacre that was responsible for the banning of semi-autos .
Up until then this country really never had a problem proving it's not a gun issue it's what's between the ears of the average Australian unfortunately these days that is sadly lacking .


WA had bans on centrefire semi-rifles pre-'96 I know, but SA didn't. I don't know about other states back then.
Practice Strict Gun Control - Precision Counts!
User avatar
bladeracer
Field Marshal
Field Marshal
 
Posts: 12653
Victoria

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by womble » 30 Apr 2021, 4:15 am

deye243 wrote:
Tomotron wrote:Hi all, since it's the 25th anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre, what were the gun laws like in the various states and territories before 1996? Cheers.

Why bother talking about stuff your never going to get and as for before 1996 semi-autos were still band as it was Julian Knight and his Hoddle Street massacre that was responsible for the banning of semi-autos .
Up until then this country really never had a problem proving it's not a gun issue it's what's between the ears of the average Australian unfortunately these days that is sadly lacking .


Of course we won’t. Times halves changed and people have have changed.
Hoddle street was 1987. In Victoria you could still own a centerfire semi-auto up until 1996. However you needed a permission letter from a property you could shoot it on to go with your pta.
High powered sem-auto rifles were’nt really that common in victoria believe it or not. Because not so much use for them. Ruger 10/22 everyone had one. Semi and pump shotguns were popular. We’ve never had the feral pig problem like qld has and our properties are’nt so large.
High powered semis were cheap chinese rubbish mostly. The cheap ammo was fmj so not so great for hunting in vic. Deer hunters owned bolt actions for accuracy.
Shotshells were expensive for the average bloke so most people did’nt like to waste them having fun with semi-auto shotguns either.
Today i would’nt own a high powered semi rifle either where i live because i really have no use for it. If i lived in Qld i would, or tablelands nsw.

And it’s not “what’s between the ears of the average Australian” as you put it that’s the problem.
It’s the radicalised or deranged Australian that’s the problem. https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/security/asio-boss-warns-terror-attack-likely-within-a-year-rightwing-extremism-growing/news-story/f9752157ac863aaef419f394a30fcbfe
And these groups are showing up in victoria now, so we can probably expect the same crap nsw gun owners have to deal with here soon too.

To summarise, i would like to be allowed to own a high powered semi if i wanted one.
If i lived or worked on a property in rural Qld or nsw i would be allowed to own one. So I really truly have nothing to complain about.
But if not being allowed one living where i do now. And city retards cant get them. If it may prevent another brenton Tarrant acting out on Aussie soil. Then I’m perfectly ok with the current ban on them. 100%

It’s not the average Australian that’s the problem . It’s dumb c*nts on internet forums preaching hatred and bigotry for minorities and women that are the problem. That’s why the rest of us can’t always have what we want.

It’s really very very simple. If i can own one, then f*cking Brendon can own one. So no, i don’t want to be able to own one. Because f*ck Brenton.
I’m simply not willing to share that “freedom” with him. I won’t do it and you can’t make me. And that my friends is true freedom and why our country is the best :thumbsup:
I dream of a world where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned
womble
Lieutenant
Lieutenant
 
Posts: 2369
Victoria

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by Larry » 30 Apr 2021, 7:16 am

Nicely put womble the Numptie will be along shortly to spout his s**t.
Back pre 96 we also had Bank robberies at least weekly. I dont think the gun law changes impacted these as much as new security features such as the Auto closing glass and the lack of money in banks making the risk reward equation not worth it. Even the very small banks in my local shopping court square at the time were robbed a big deal for the outer small suburb at the time.
Larry
Staff Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
 
Posts: 775
-

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by Communism_Is_Cancer » 30 Apr 2021, 7:41 am

I have a copy of the original Queensland weapons act of 1990. Things were so much better in those days.

Instead of categories of firearms Queensland has schedules.

Schedule 1 = Machine guns, RPGs, Mines, Grenades, Anti personal gas, vests, artillery, mortars etc etc.
Schedule 2 = Firearms under 75cm Ie handguns
Schedule 3 = Everything else. So all non auto long arms over 75cm in length.

Schedule 1 you needed a collectors, dealers, amours licence which lasted for 5 years. You had to notify police before you bought an item and keep a register.
Schedule 2 you had to have a licence which lasted for 5 years and you had to notify police of your purchase.
Schedule 3 You just needed a basic sports/rec licence which lasted INDEFINATLY and you did not have to notify police of your purchase IE no register for longarms.

Police had maximum of 28 days to grant or reject a licence.
Communism_Is_Cancer
Sergeant
Sergeant
 
Posts: 681
Queensland

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by Shootermick » 30 Apr 2021, 7:53 am

womble wrote:Victoria has’nt really changed much, you needed written permission from a property to get a permit for centrefire semi-auto.
Now you need to charge the farmer money to own one, or own the property.

But yes you could buy an sks in the mail from Qld, plus cheap boxes ex military ammo.. and then convert it to full auto etc etc.
Or you could just take the ferry to Tassie and buy anything you wanted really. RPG’s, etc. no i made that up. Or did i haha
Stuff like claymores, grenades, slr’s. Well you know, army cadets, cashies on the weekend.


Centrefire semi auto? As in cat D? Can a primary producer in Vic apply for and get a cat D license now?
.22, .22wmr, 223, 243, 303, 20ga, 12ga
Shootermick
Staff Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
 
Posts: 795
Victoria

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by Communism_Is_Cancer » 30 Apr 2021, 8:05 am

Shootermick wrote:
Centrefire semi auto? As in cat D? Can a primary producer in Vic apply for and get a cat D license now?




I believe Victoria only lets primary producers get cat C. You have to be feral pest for the D in Victoria. Queensland allows cat D and H for primary producers.
Communism_Is_Cancer
Sergeant
Sergeant
 
Posts: 681
Queensland

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by bladeracer » 30 Apr 2021, 9:47 am

You certainly cannot own semi-auto centrefire rifles in any state just because you own property. Shooting vertebrate pest animals has to be your source of income, with contracts and income to prove it.

womble wrote:
deye243 wrote:
Tomotron wrote:Hi all, since it's the 25th anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre, what were the gun laws like in the various states and territories before 1996? Cheers.

Why bother talking about stuff your never going to get and as for before 1996 semi-autos were still band as it was Julian Knight and his Hoddle Street massacre that was responsible for the banning of semi-autos .
Up until then this country really never had a problem proving it's not a gun issue it's what's between the ears of the average Australian unfortunately these days that is sadly lacking .


Of course we won’t. Times halves changed and people have have changed.
Hoddle street was 1987. In Victoria you could still own a centerfire semi-auto up until 1996. However you needed a permission letter from a property you could shoot it on to go with your pta.
High powered sem-auto rifles were’nt really that common in victoria believe it or not. Because not so much use for them. Ruger 10/22 everyone had one. Semi and pump shotguns were popular. We’ve never had the feral pig problem like qld has and our properties are’nt so large.
High powered semis were cheap chinese rubbish mostly. The cheap ammo was fmj so not so great for hunting in vic. Deer hunters owned bolt actions for accuracy.
Shotshells were expensive for the average bloke so most people did’nt like to waste them having fun with semi-auto shotguns either.
Today i would’nt own a high powered semi rifle either where i live because i really have no use for it. If i lived in Qld i would, or tablelands nsw.

And it’s not “what’s between the ears of the average Australian” as you put it that’s the problem.
It’s the radicalised or deranged Australian that’s the problem. https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/security/asio-boss-warns-terror-attack-likely-within-a-year-rightwing-extremism-growing/news-story/f9752157ac863aaef419f394a30fcbfe
And these groups are showing up in victoria now, so we can probably expect the same crap nsw gun owners have to deal with here soon too.

To summarise, i would like to be allowed to own a high powered semi if i wanted one.
If i lived or worked on a property in rural Qld or nsw i would be allowed to own one. So I really truly have nothing to complain about.
But if not being allowed one living where i do now. And city retards cant get them. If it may prevent another brenton Tarrant acting out on Aussie soil. Then I’m perfectly ok with the current ban on them. 100%

It’s not the average Australian that’s the problem . It’s dumb c*nts on internet forums preaching hatred and bigotry for minorities and women that are the problem. That’s why the rest of us can’t always have what we want.

It’s really very very simple. If i can own one, then f*cking Brendon can own one. So no, i don’t want to be able to own one. Because f*ck Brenton.
I’m simply not willing to share that “freedom” with him. I won’t do it and you can’t make me. And that my friends is true freedom and why our country is the best :thumbsup:
Practice Strict Gun Control - Precision Counts!
User avatar
bladeracer
Field Marshal
Field Marshal
 
Posts: 12653
Victoria

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by Communism_Is_Cancer » 30 Apr 2021, 10:22 am

bladeracer wrote:You certainly cannot own semi-auto centrefire rifles in any state just because you own property. Shooting vertebrate pest animals has to be your source of income, with contracts and income to prove it.



Owning the property helps in Queensland. You can get cat C,D and H for primary production and feral pest control on rural land. Whilst not set in law weapons licensing like to see 100 acres for cat C and 5000 acres for D. Cat H is another animal onto its self.
Communism_Is_Cancer
Sergeant
Sergeant
 
Posts: 681
Queensland

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by womble » 30 Apr 2021, 1:10 pm

Sorry i meant own the farm. Primary producer.
I dream of a world where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned
womble
Lieutenant
Lieutenant
 
Posts: 2369
Victoria

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by deye243 » 30 Apr 2021, 2:09 pm

womble wrote:
deye243 wrote:
Tomotron wrote:Hi all, since it's the 25th anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre, what were the gun laws like in the various states and territories before 1996? Cheers.

Why bother talking about stuff your never going to get and as for before 1996 semi-autos were still band as it was Julian Knight and his Hoddle Street massacre that was responsible for the banning of semi-autos .
Up until then this country really never had a problem proving it's not a gun issue it's what's between the ears of the average Australian unfortunately these days that is sadly lacking .


Of course we won’t. Times halves changed and people have have changed.
Hoddle street was 1987. In Victoria you could still own a centerfire semi-auto up until 1996. However you needed a permission letter from a property you could shoot it on to go with your pta.
High powered sem-auto rifles were’nt really that common in victoria believe it or not. Because not so much use for them. Ruger 10/22 everyone had one. Semi and pump shotguns were popular. We’ve never had the feral pig problem like qld has and our properties are’nt so large.
High powered semis were cheap chinese rubbish mostly. The cheap ammo was fmj so not so great for hunting in vic. Deer hunters owned bolt actions for accuracy.
Shotshells were expensive for the average bloke so most people did’nt like to waste them having fun with semi-auto shotguns either.
Today i would’nt own a high powered semi rifle either where i live because i really have no use for it. If i lived in Qld i would, or tablelands nsw.

And it’s not “what’s between the ears of the average Australian” as you put it that’s the problem.
It’s the radicalised or deranged Australian that’s the problem. https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/security/asio-boss-warns-terror-attack-likely-within-a-year-rightwing-extremism-growing/news-story/f9752157ac863aaef419f394a30fcbfe
And these groups are showing up in victoria now, so we can probably expect the same crap nsw gun owners have to deal with here soon too.

To summarise, i would like to be allowed to own a high powered semi if i wanted one.
If i lived or worked on a property in rural Qld or nsw i would be allowed to own one. So I really truly have nothing to complain about.
But if not being allowed one living where i do now. And city retards cant get them. If it may prevent another brenton Tarrant acting out on Aussie soil. Then I’m perfectly ok with the current ban on them. 100%

It’s not the average Australian that’s the problem . It’s dumb c*nts on internet forums preaching hatred and bigotry for minorities and women that are the problem. That’s why the rest of us can’t always have what we want.

It’s really very very simple. If i can own one, then f*cking Brendon can own one. So no, i don’t want to be able to own one. Because f*ck Brenton.
I’m simply not willing to share that “freedom” with him. I won’t do it and you can’t make me. And that my friends is true freedom and why our country is the best :thumbsup:

So I got the year wrong by two .
point is they were restricted I had a 10 22 and a Remington woodsmaster 3006 you must be a city boy because here in East Gippsland where we hunt Sambar just about everybody I knew had a semi-automatic The Browning bar was popular and so was the woods master from Remington in 308 and 3006 we all lost ours in the steel back .
User avatar
deye243
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
 
Posts: 2206
Victoria

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by bladeracer » 30 Apr 2021, 2:46 pm

womble wrote:Sorry i meant own the farm. Primary producer.


CatC I'm aware of. I could own one semi-auto rimfire rifle and one pump/semi shotgun, if I felt the need to control pests on my own properties. But I can't have CatD unless I'm shooting pests contractually for my livelihood. In both cases though, I could not take my CarC/D firearms for hunting recreationally, or onto any other property than stated for owning them.

I'm not aware that Qld is any different. The handful of videos I've seen of CatD firearms used in Qld have all been held under those same stipulations as we have in Victoria.
Practice Strict Gun Control - Precision Counts!
User avatar
bladeracer
Field Marshal
Field Marshal
 
Posts: 12653
Victoria

Re: Gun laws before 1996

Post by bladeracer » 30 Apr 2021, 2:59 pm

you are deluded if you believe preventing us from lawfully owning firearms means terrorists and criminals are equally prevented. Where do you think the hundreds of thousands of semi-auto rifles went that were not handed in in 1996? All the AG42's, SKS/SKK's, M1 Carbines, Mini14's, and the other fun stuff that was imported and sold - if they had been handed in, the pile would've been bigger than the single-shot rimfires and guns that were handed in.

So, no, just because somebody _might_ use something to commit an atrocity is _not_ sufficient reason myself, or you, or any other Aussie, shouldn't be able to enjoy owning and using something for lawful purpose.
Last edited by bladeracer on 30 Apr 2021, 4:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Practice Strict Gun Control - Precision Counts!
User avatar
bladeracer
Field Marshal
Field Marshal
 
Posts: 12653
Victoria

Next

Back to top
 
Return to Firearms related media and politics
cron