Take a look at this, email to friends, and to U.S. Representatives and State Senators.

From: Ed Chenel, a police officer in Australia.

Hi Yanks, I thought you all would like to see the real figures from Down Under. It has now been 12 months since gun owners in Australia were forced by a new law to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed by our own government, a program costing Australia taxpayers more than $500 million dollars.
The first year results are now in: Australia-wide, homicides are up 3.2 percent, Australia-wide, assaults are up 8.6 percent; Australia-wide, armed robberies are up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent)! In the state of Victoria alone, homicides with firearms are now up 300 percent. (Note that while the law-abiding citizens turned them in, the criminals did not and criminals still possess their guns!)
While figures over the previous 25 years showed a steady decrease in armed robbery with firearms, this has changed drastically upward in the past 12 months, since the criminals now are guaranteed that their prey is unarmed.
There has also been a dramatic increase in break-ins and assaults of the elderly.
Australian politicians are at a loss to explain how public safety has decreased, after such monumental effort and expense was expended in
"successfully ridding Australian society of guns." You won't see this the American evening news or hear your governor or members of the state Assembly disseminating this information.
The Australian experience proves it. Guns in the hands of honest citizens save lives and property and, yes, gun-control laws affect only the law-abiding citizens.
Take note Americans, before it's to late!
FORWARD TO EVERYONE ON YOUR EMAIL LIST! DON'T BE A MEMBER OF THE SILENT MAJORITY AND LET THE VOCAL MINORITY LET THIS HAPPEN IN THE U S A

CRAP and ARSE
Australian shooters did not hand in ALL our firearms.
The Australian government banned(except with a special permit) semi auto firearms and pump action shotguns and then purchased them off the shooters.

In my case I "sold" the Australian government a .223 Ruger mini 14 with associated 20,30 and 40 shot magazines for MUCH more than I paid for them.

I then went and bought a brand new BLR in .223.

I have subsequently imported a custom 270AI by Dwight Scot from America.

I have also acquired a Swede 96 and a Martini 218Mashburn Bee and am currently in the process of acquiring a 22 rimfire.

Australian shooters have had the RATE we can return fire slightly reduced NOT OUR ABILITY TO RETURN FIRE.

We are as armed and dangerous as we ever were.

Regards
Deafdog

Joke! I believe in gun control! Gun control is hitting what you aim at! If nothing else Australia shows what bad laws can do and England is having the same problem. Wish you luck!

Deafrog; you are a joke!!!!! You're happy you lost your Mini 14 BECAUSE you made money on it??? What if you, as a law abiding citizen actually wanted a Mini 14, what possible reason can the gov't have for not letting you????

Ok,,, I know you all are aware of this, but I just wanted to see it posted..

As individuals, not elected to play a role in our government, we know that for sure honest people do not commit crimes. We also know that as honest people, we normally do not start throwing lead out the windows of cars on a Sunday drive. As honest people, when our government says to turn in our guns, we honestly try to do what is best.
As a gun owner you know why we have a firearm readily available at night. Are our governments naive enough to think that you honest people go around at night breaking laws, and hurting thy neighbor? ? The way I see it, is normal everyday people are aware that an unarmed world is a criminals candy store. Our Governments can�t see this? Do you really think the Government is actually trying to save the honest peasants? Or do you think just maybe the government is trying to set us up for a much bigger agenda?

I recieved the same e-mail back in 1998 when Canada started all the gun control crap. I highly doubt the accuracy of the figures considering it is 4 years old, not to mention however old it was when I recieved it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for fighting gun control, but some of the 'facts' recieved over the internet are a little hoaky.

Turok

Ditto what Mauserkid said. I hate to sound like a phobia ridden derelect but I agree that there must be a hidden, bigger agenda.

Governing bodys are not that naive to think that taking weapons from honest citizens are going to solve the crime problems. Criminals would love to see the general public disarmed and in this case I think that the anti's are the ones plotting there idea of "the perfect crime".

Is it realy gun control or simply "control" that there after?

Gun control is the theory that punishing innocent citizens will so impress criminals that they will stop committing crimes.

Gun control is not about guns, it is about control.

"Liberals are not good people with bad ideas, they are bad people with evil ideas."

jim dodd

HunterJim: AMEN!

cwilson

I once saw some info somewhere that gun registration was to improve the safety of the people, or some horse pucky like that... Then Hitler confiscated the weapons, and sent the Jews to concentration camps.....

It has been proven over and over again that history repeats itself ever day�.

Just a couple of items from the new SA Gun Control Act now being implemented to show how much sense it makes

If I travel to a hunt with my two children and we all have our rifles in the car and stop at filling station, while they go to the rest room, I am in illegal possession of their rifles and can be arrested and charged.

Dual licenses to possess can now be applied for. This means that my children can have licenses to carry, use and fully treat any firearm of mine as their own - as long as they have the same residential address as me. As soon as they move out of the house to their own place, (marry, have kids, grow up and become more responsible) their license is revoked. They have to buy their own guns and we have the problem above.

Gun free zones will be established. These are areas where criminals will be assured of the fact that no law abiding person will shoot back at them. If this will work, why not declare crime free zones and slowly extend them till the entire country is covered and thereby completely eliminate crime?

[ 01-29-2003, 09:22: Message edited by: Gerard Schultz ]

Hey sxr6
I was NOT happy to give up my mini 14.
I could have kept it ,many did.
I needed the money to buy legal guns I could use.

I agree gun control only benefits criminals.

I was commenting on the fact that Australia has NOT HAD ALL OUR GUNS TAKEN AWAY.

I own more firearms now than I did before the gun laws changed and semiauto firearms were restricted.

If I, as a land owner had trouble with large numbers of pest animals and needed or wanted a semi auto firearm I could obtain a category D firearm licenses and buy a mini 14.

It is difficult but not impossible to legally obtain a mini 14 despite the banning of most semi autos.

Regards
Deafdog

Gun control is done for one reason and one reason only - VOTES