Poll on SMH

The Sydney Morning Herald is running a poll asking "Do our gun control laws go far enough?".


Under the poll they have four opinions, one from a hunter, a gun control advocate, a policemen and the mayor of Moree Plains Shire.


Robert Borsak ('the hunter') makes this point "THE spate of drive-by shootings in Sydney is not the result of insufficient gun control laws, or even criminal law, in this state. It is already illegal to shoot an unregistered firearm in a built-up area without regard to human life. There are three or more charges that could arise from this act alone. The problem is that there is a minority of people who do not care what the law says."


Michelle Fernando ('the advocate') seems to want gun laws tightened up so that unlicensed people can not shoot guns. WHICH IS A VERY SCARY THOUGHT and I hope the NSW gun owners fight this tooth and nail.


(Just as an aside, I had a look at a news report on the shooting of her father.  The article I found was here and does raise some interesting questions).


Scott Weber ('the policeman') says "We need a war on guns, with greater focus on stopping guns entering the country in the first place, and schemes in place to get the guns in circulation off the streets."


The one that I found most interesting was Katrina Humphries ('the mayor'), this is her comment:


LOCKS keep honest people out. Signs are for honest people to obey. Rules are for honest people to follow. Gun laws are for honest people and when guns were outlawed the outlaws kept their guns.


Zero tolerance for  illegal gun dealers and users is possibly the only way to clean up this mess, along with sizeable cash rewards for information leading to arrests of persons involved in gun crimes.  Perhaps strong mandatory jail terms for the perpetrators would also be a deterrent.
Some say our jails are overcrowded now; too bad – build more, of lesser quality, so the jail experience is a punishment not a reward. Customs also needs to be tighter.


All these solutions will take a lot of money to fund, but if governments are serious then the proceeds of crime need to be quarantined to help fund these extra measures.


We also need to start properly supporting our police.  Eyewatch is a new type of community watch network that could really take off.  Imagine the benefit to a community if there were six or eight extra sets of eyes and ears in every street. It is a real option and residents can take part without being found out by their  neighbours.


It is my belief that the politically correct and the do-gooders of this country are bringing our fantastic lifestyle and happy-go-lucky nature to their  knees.


Time is of the essence and it is only a matter of time until some poor innocent bystander, even a child, is killed in this gangland-style raiding that is happening night after night.


NSW needs to be the leader in criminal reform in Australia.  If there was ever a time for some gutsy leadership, a strong judicial system and big monetary rewards, it is now.  Lock them up and throw away the keys – there is no room in our precious world for suburban warlords and lawless communities.


Our brave police should be honoured and supported and while ever there is no respect for the law there will be no peace for law-abiding citizens. Fear should not be the burden of the honest and decent majority in our communities; it should be used as a weapon against those who wish to break the law.


If you're in Australia, particularly in NSW please go and vote in the poll and if you want to see the continuation of gun ownership fight against the petitions, like those presented by Michelle Fernando, by supporting people like Robert Borsak and Mayor Humphries.