The less guns the better. Lax laws = more gun crime

THE LESS GUNS THE BETTER
Tasmanians Proud Of State’s Enviable Low Crime

The Tasmanian Greens today said the less guns the better for the State, and the healthier the community.

Greens Police spokesperson Paul ‘Basil’ O’Halloran MP said that the draft gun law reform legislation expected within weeks, must address tighten hand-gun controls including their availability.

While it is of concern that there are more than 126,654 registered guns in the state, and obviously an unknown number of unregistered guns, this figure raises serious concerns about how many more unregistered weapons exist that we do not know about.”

“Societies which contain more guns inevitably have more crime and more fatalities. That’s not just factually self-evident, it’s common sense too.”

“The 550 gun thefts since 2009 is a really worrying number.”

“There have already been a number of ugly gun-crime incidents in the state this year. A high number of guns inevitably means more can be stolen and filter out into wider society to be used by criminals.”

“While most gun users are responsible, toughening the controls over handguns, tightening gun sale buy-back deals and even stricter rules for rifle ownership are clearly necessary.”

“Tasmanians are lucky to live in a low-crime state and we are all better off keeping it that way.”

“More guns won’t drive crime down, but fewer guns in the state will lead to lower rates of gun crime, that it why the Greens have been such passionate advocates for gun control reform.”

“The Greens will be going through Mr O’Bryne’s forthcoming gun control legislation with a fine-tooth comb to ensure the trend of tougher gun control continues because it will only enhance the state’s enviable low-crime and low-fatality reputation to do so,” said Mr O’Halloran.

First published: 2012-06-07 02:00 AM

• LAX GUN LAWS = MORE GUN CRIME

The Tasmanian Greens today said the recent spate of gun crimes highlighted the need for tighter controls on gun ownership, including lifting the minimum age for handling firearms to 18 years.

Greens Police spokesperson Paul ‘Basil’ O’Halloran MP said that with a draft gun law reform review expected within weeks, the Greens would be pushing for stronger measures to reduce gun related crime in Tasmania.

“Guns are a useful tool for many people in the community, but they should not be kept for the purposes of personal security because this inevitably leads to higher rates of gun related crimes,” Mr O’Halloran said

“Guns are extremely effective at what they are designed for, and societies where people have access to readily available guns have consistently higher rates of murders, suicides and accidental shootings.”

“There are close to 127-thousand registered guns in the state, and nobody knows how many more illegal and unregistered weapons are out there.”

“A high number of legal guns inevitably means a greater number of guns being stolen and ending up in the hands of criminals.”

“Tasmania needs a total ban on automatic and semi automatic handguns for private use, and stronger penalties for possession of illegal firearms.”

“The Greens’ policy supports a ban on all high powered, rapid fire, rapid repeating, or concealable weapons and we believe ownership and possession of all weapons should be restricted to those with a legitimate need and who are over 18,” Mr O’Halloran said.