Australian Shooters Must be Licensed

On 28th April, 1996, an enraged gunman, Martin Bryant, mowed down patrons in Port Arthur, a tourist attraction on the east coast of Tasmania near Hobart. They included a mother and her two young daughters, and 32 others who were killed outright. 21 people were wounded. The killer eventually holed up in a guest house with 2 hostages, a husband and wife, whom he shot and then set fire to it before being captured by police. He ran out with clothes blazing and suffering severe burns.

In 90 to 120 seconds he killed 20 people in the cafe and gift shop. He had entered it with a large bag and ate a meal before taking his gun out and opening fire randomly. His victims included men, women and children. His first victims were 2 visitors from Malaysia. In his first round of fire 12 people were dead and 10 were wounded. Then he moved to the Gift Shop where he opened fire again.

During that 120 seconds 29 rounds were fired in all.

Bryant then moved to the car park which had many coaches packed with visitors in them, He chased and killed passengers, injured many more and stalked others.. Terrified many tried to hide in bushes, around the nearby jetty and elsewhere. Leaving the car park in his car he opened the door to a mother running away with her 2 girls, one 3 and one 8. He then shot her at point blank range before opening fire and killing the children.

By this time others in cars were backing away and one drove to a service station with Bryant in pursuit. He locked one man in the boot before killing his 20 year old girlfriend. he then passed other cars shooting at them, hitting some occupants, shattering their windscreens and so on. Finally he found his way to the guesthouse and it was then that 2 policemen arrived in separate cars. From 1.30 pm until 9 pm he held them at bay until they were finally able to be moved to safety in the cover of darkness and under the guidance of the Special Operations Group of the Tasmanian Police Force..

An 18 hour stand-off followed.

This was Australia's worst ever massacre and one of the deadliest such incidences globally. Australia was outraged and the Prime Minister, John Howard, wasted little time in passing new laws for gun ownership. The final tally for Port Arthur was 35 dead and 21 wounded.

To most Australians the sensible thing to do to stop further massacres, like that at Port Arthur, was to ban guns. It was not the most popular decision, however, among gun owners. It happened so quickly that there was not much time for debate or reaction.

A week or so after the massacre (May 5) the police ministers concluded that firearm ownership was not a right and self defense was not a valid reason to own firearms. On 10 May 1996 the gun program was comprehensive enough to be implemented immediately. More was added to it in July and November. State parliaments passed laws to fully implement the changes, but some changes were difficult to implement as disputes between them persisted. Tasmanian Guns Act 1991 were paraded as having given the police minister authority to require registration of certain semiautomatic center fire firearms. he thereby ordered this on May 7, 1996 (before the 10 May APMC meeting).

All pump-action shotguns and all semiautomatic firearms (even of .22 rim fire caliber) were banned from private ownership while the government opted to pay people to turn in such firearms for destruction over the course of the following year. It was funded from a year long increase in the "medicare" tax on the grounds that guns were a health hazard. The laws allowed professional shooters possession of a non-military semiautomatic long gun, or pump action shotgun, as long as the authorities could see a "genuine need." The same applied for an individual to possess a lesser firearm and defence of person, life or property was not a valid reason. (source of information: http://www.gunsandcrime.org/aussiegc.html).

The media had a field day as shooters rose up against the government and a group actually formed "The Shooters Party" to put candidates into the next Federal election with the hope of getting a voice in Federal Parliament to overturn the laws. As the debate waged back and forth the gun hand-in program continued and night after night it was shown on television and in the media in general as guns were destroyed, their barrels were sawed in half and the rest was burned. It seems a dreadful waste but the governments were determined.

Now "Thirteen years after the ban/buyback there is now plenty of data from which to evaluate the effectiveness of the measures put in place. A lot of the peoples' money was spent buying firearms. A lot of Australians became alienated from their governments and institutions. Irrational fears of people unfamiliar with guns may have been eased. Gun accident deaths inexplicably rose. Robbery rates popped up for several years (until '04). There was no perceptible, definite impact-good or bad-on burglary, serious assault, homicide, gun homicide, suicide or gun suicide.

The gun controllers continued to do something similar regarding handguns, which rose in prominence since long guns had been reigned in. If handgun crime becomes less significant, some kind of handgun or long-gun crime will gain in significance and the gun controllers will target that category, and so on as long as there is a firearm." (cited http://www.gunsandcrime.org/aussiegc.html).

"Stringent laws enacted to protect the community govern the issue of a Shooters License. ATSC membership helps ensure that newcomers to this internationally popular sport understand the responsibilities involved, meet the strict conditions and facilitate obtaining their licence.

Australia's shooting champions are now in training for a place on the team for the next Commonwealth Games. There is an increasing awareness of Australia's preparations to continue its long sporting tradition of successful target shooting in international sport.

Australians have achieved great success in Olympic shooting in recent years and when the Commonwealth Games team is chosen, there will be increased interest among people who would like to enter the sport. ATSC will enable that interest to be realised." (source http://www.atsc.com.au/pages/licence.htm")

While people the world over may have access to guns in Australia they are no longer available to just anyone. Unless you can prove you have a valid need for one, such as a farmer, rancher, or a member of a Sporting Shooters Club, you will have a hard time avoiding jail if your own a gun without a license.

But it is more than a sport to members as they get so much fun out of their membership and the interest in their activity leads many to travel overseas, preferably to America and the so-called wild west, to experience first hand the way others do it. They bring back a lot of clothes, gear and other things to add to their interesting get-ups. Boots, shirts, hats, gun holders, and the latest in fancy decorations can all be seen at a meet.

These activities are harmless and fill a need. They also demonstrate that the heat has gone out of gun control and that whenever and wherever people have a great hobby and an interest there can always be a solution. Of course guns owned by members have to be contained in a locked, secure safe at all times, except when in use on the range. If this law is broken the shooter not only looses his license but can even go to jail.

There have been cases recently where young kids have used their dad's firearms to shoot others, whether accidentally or deliberately. So the law has not stopped all illegal firearm usage,

From the top of his head to the tip of his toes the cowboy is decked out in western style gear that is often hard to come by. Traditionally a cowboy is an animal herder who rides the range on horseback and drives cattle to market. His clothes, like him, performs many duties and can take the rough and tumble of a hard day in the saddle, of protecting him from the sun, the heat, the cold, and parasites. He also required to have his guns handy for a quick draw in case of snakes, stampedes, and, as we often see in Western movies, of rustlers and thieves.

Many cowboys also compete in Rodeos to show off their riding and cattle handling skills. These participants must also be dressed in the right gear to play the part well.

In Australia there are many shooting clubs, rodeo exhibitions and cattle ranchers who demand and wear this type of gear. Many prefer the American authenticity of reproduced outfits which this merchant is famous for.

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