City Shooting
June 18, 2007 | Filed under Politics
One dead, gunman at large after city shooting.
The leading story in all news broadcasts today in Melbourne is about a shooting that occured early this morning in the city centre. One person was killed, with two others in a critical condition in hospital. The shooter is still at large. Two blocks of the city have essentially been locked down.
Why is this noteworthy? Mainly because such an occurence is rare in Australia. There are strict gun control laws in this country (ever since the Port Arthur massacre) that prevent these random shootings from being a regular event.
Compare this to America’s “big deal” with 32 people killed in the Virginia Tech shootings. Even after the event, the Bush government continue refusing to implement some sort of a gun control legislation. When 35 people were killed in the aforementioned Port Arthur massacre in 1996, the Howard government1 implemented a gun buy back scheme. With each further firearm-related death (a shooting on my university’s campus where two people were killed in 2002, etc.), further measures and laws were created to make obtaining a firearm more difficult for civilians. I’ve no doubt that this incident will trigger another look at the current gun legislation, and prompt harsher regulations. Consider this: there are now an estimated 250 fewer gun-related deaths in Australia each year since these restrictions first began.
Is it not obvious that gun control is essential? The Bush government needs to take heed – where three people injured in a shooting is major news here in Australia, it’s simply one in a dozen of the same incident in any one city on any one day in America. Don’t tell me that guns don’t kill people, people kill people. Without guns, people wouldn’t be killing so many people, so easily.
1John Howard is a douchebag, but I’ll give him credit where he deserves it – he’s always been vehemently anti-firearms so he gets a tick of approval from me in that aspect.
15 Responses to City Shooting
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I loathe guns. The USA could learn quite a bit from Australia and the rest of the modern world when it comes to gun control… But, we’ve our 2nd Amendment & powerful pro-gun lobbyists so, what are we to do? Most Americans hold tight to their constitutional rights- they won’t give any of them up without a fight, a real brawl (gun-related things are no different). Our culture has to change before firearms can be restricted anymore than they already are (we actually have some laws).
Chantelle on June 18, 2007 #
I have no idea why guns are still so easily obtained nowadays. Gun control should be implemented all over the world.
Juice on June 18, 2007 #
At my school, the year sevens were meant to be going to sports day in the locked-down region, and they had to come back after going all that way. It was all anyone at school would talk about for at least a few hours. In SOSE we kept interrupting our teacher to ask what happened there, because she had her laptop right there and was using it. We didn’t really know what had happened until she told us. Chaotic times.
I think I saw on the news that Howard said he’d discuss gun control with the states, to see if they thought it should be any harsher. I have to agree on the douchebag front, but also that he has the right idea about gun control.
Jessica on June 18, 2007 #
Ugh that’s really sad.
We have strict gun laws here and if something like that happened here it’d be a pretty big deal. I don’t think I’ve heard of many shootings here really… surely this proves something -_-
Oh well. Bush is a dick.
Matt on June 18, 2007 #
The amount of gun control debates I’m in… some people are simply blind to the horrors of them. Or perhaps it’s because I love the idea of a utopian society.
Amber on June 18, 2007 #
I wonder if Bush would change his tune if someone close to him was assassinated by an everyday citizen of America?
Probably not, but hey, it’s something to think about.
Nellie on June 18, 2007 #
“Without guns, people wouldn’t be killing so many people, so easily”
Very well said.
Bush disappoints me. He is too focused on the wrong things.
Jenn on June 19, 2007 #
It’s probably because Johnny Howard is scared that someone will go and assassinate him. j/ks
Yeah, I like the no gun policy – makes me have a sense of security, even if it’s a false one.
Mish on June 19, 2007 #
Someone had way too much time on their hands when they did that wiki entry. I stopped reading at the Cafe Killings part (you can’t see it, but I’m rolling my eyes).
Mike Haddad on June 19, 2007 #
Personally, I agree with you. Restrictions are needed and some sort of better background check is needed.
But that isn’t the perspective that they see. We have a Bill of Rights and one of the things in it (the 2nd amendment) is the right to bear arms, the right to have guns. There is no possible way to let people have that right, to let them have guns for their protection, but not let people have guns for violence. There are too many possibilities of them getting in the right hands. So, what about the people who want them for protection or hobbyist hunting? You can’t punish the innocent for the wrongs of the evil.
If that right is taken away, the country will go more towards government control, which they don’t want. That isn’t what the country was founded on. And if they take away this, when will the others be taken away?
And then brings up the aspect of HOW to take the privelege away. Something like that would most likely be fought and taken to the Supreme Court, which would have to rule it against the Constitution despite their views. The only way would be to make an amendment to withdraw the 2nd amendment. There are so many measures in place and benchmarks that would have to be met for that. I’m not sure what they are but I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t be passed even now, after all of the school shootings. Despite the consequences, America isn’t ready for that much goverment control.
In the case of better background checking and a database of people who shouldn’t have guns because of mental problems, measure are being taken. The goverment IS doing that. As for restrictions like it sounds like you are referring to, they can’t.
I don’t mean this as an attack against you, but the goverment is doing what they can. I’m not sure about the laws in AU, but the president can’t just ban guns. That’s what the checks and balances are for. There’s no use criticizing him for not doing something he isn’t able to.
Skye on June 19, 2007 #
Part of the problem in the states too is that the laws that are in place don’t get enforced properly. The VATech shooter? Shouldn’t have been able to buy guns, but there was a communication fuckup and he didn’t get flagged. The Columbine shooters, they got someone to buy the guns for them, also technically illegal.
Unfortunately, and oddly enough, what’s getting caught between the rush to protect people from themselves and the gun lobbies are amateur chemists. They’ve made it almost impossible to buy a lot of “dangerous” chemicals instead of banning something useful like the ownership by civilians of automatic firearms.
Jack on June 19, 2007 #
I loathe guns so much, just the thought of even holding one freaks me out. I was so shocked when I heard about the shootings yesterday I really couldn’t believe it. Where I live there is a firearm shop just 30 metres away, I freak out whenever I walk past it, or when I see the types of people who go in and out.
Bobbi-lee on June 19, 2007 #
The right to bear arms is in our constitution, not something that the Bush administration can easily remove.
Furthermore I for one would not vote for a presidential candidate who made gun control a main issue since the US has so many other more important issues that need to be take care of.
Plus I would not want to have congressmen debate and contest an amendment that cannot not easily be discarded and that many people still support while, like I said, there are more important issues at hand.
Plus gun control laws vary state by state, so what really needs to happen is that gun control regulations need to be nationalized and tightened.
Noemi on June 19, 2007 #
After the Virgina Tech massacre, I researched gun control laws a bit and was shocked that almost anyobdy could purchase one.
I am even against guns as protection- wouldn’t a taser or even pepper spray suffice?
Carina on June 19, 2007 #
Oh my gosh! Don’t even get me started on that topic… It makes me want to move to Norway or some place where people can’t get to guns easily!
You should watch Michael Moore’s Bowling For Columbine… It’s an entertaining documentary about gun control (or the lack thereof) in the US
Felisa on June 20, 2007 #