Check below for the link to the story. In short the NSW State Government who couldn't agree at the COAG meeting now do so its going to Category D.
Many odd things remain. A lever action shotgun has never been used in a siege, massacre or crime, senate report was clear that the firearm of choice for criminals are handguns, sub machine guns & sawn off shotguns.
Should add, every cache of 9mm sub machine found & seized, nearly all were home made by criminal gunsmiths and a few were smuggled in. You can't make an Adler into a sawn off, well you can but it becomes a single shot.
Should add, its not rapid fire. If you fire only 2 shots a double barrel shotgun is quicker. If you fire 5 shots the lever action is quicker, if you fire 10 shots the double barrel is quicker or exactly the same. (Don't take my word for it, there's a firing comparison on Youtube)
All this happens AFTER the Orange by-election where the Shooters Fishers & Farmers Party won th unwinnable seat. In WA with a state election coming, "The Rod Culleton Effect" may see One Nation not get all the votes they hope and the SFFP may get more than many people expect. They're running a candidate in Brendon Grylls seat & I'm half expecting most rural seats in the Upper House and some Lower House seats to get SFFP Candidates.
It has been a total schamozzle this Adler thing. Its been smoke, mirrors, platitudes and skimming over of facts. Its run on emotion and very little else and the whole circus and threat of a full ban made it the high ground many shooters were going to stand firm on. It helped sell more Adlers than anything else oddly. Before Winchester and Chiappa made lever action shotguns. Readily available on Cat A. Now there's Emerald, Adler, Pardus, IAC and 4 other brands of lever action shotgun. The Adler itself sold over 8000. 2 years ago, well I'd never seen a lever action shotgun. They just weren't popular.
So what's the wash out? Well political parties will have to have a clear and concise position on the firearm if they're to limit some of the minor wash off of votes going to the minor parties like SFFP & to a lesser extent One Nation. My main contention is not whether the firearm is banned or allowed but whether a decision is made based on facts or emotion...or ignorance & bluff.
- They're not rapid fire. firing 10 shots an Adler is not faster compared to a double barrel shot gun
- They're not high capacity. 5 shot & 7 shot is lower capacity than what you can get for all rifles with detachable magazines. They're all 10 shot. Competition shooters in pistol shooting all use 10 shot magazines. Heck a Smith & Wesson Model 617 is a 10 shot revolver. Yes Cat H, but lever action is not high capacity.
- No siege, massacre or crime has been committed with a lever action shotgun. Maybe there has but I've been searching for 12 months and can't find one. Most crimes are sawn off double barrel shotguns, hand guns or sub machine guns. Of them most are home made or smuggled into the country. The smallest portion are stolen. Less than 0.5%
- The Adler, if it goes onto Cat D will be effectively banned in WA like a machine gun. The line is only available to professional shooters, which maybe the case in other states but in WA Cat D is police & military only. Adlers here will be gone unless there's some change to Cat D.
- Currently some people, mostly primary producers can have a pump action shotgun, limited to 5 shots. Now if the Adler goes to Cat D, so too will pump actions. In other words, the only shotgun most people will be able to get is a single shot or double shotgun. The latter being able to fire as "rapidly" as a 5 shot lever action if you fire 2 shots or 10.
- Then there's the issue of the import ban. Gun laws are state laws & Tony Abbott's ill considered ban helped sell more lever action shotguns than any ad campaign. He couldn't stop 7 shot Adlers, but he could ban the import and tell the states it remains in place until you change your laws to suit the federal government.
THIS IS CALLED SOVEREIGN OVER REACH.
Remember this and only my opinion but I think no one should vote for any party that agrees or allows or fails to oppose SOVEREIGN OVER REACH. - Buy back...one is coming for illegal firearms. Or at least an hand back amnesty is and it will therefore include Adlers & all the other brands of lever action shotguns.
- This absurd issue will not affect the elections in a number of metro seats. It will be viewed closely by the 800,000+ firearms owners. I'd expect some effect in the Upper House seats and more effect in preference allocation. We're currently in the longest stretch we've seen with hung or near hung federal parliaments. I expect savage horse trading to become more normal and legislative process to become slower and more "deal oriented".
- Lastly, this could be the first step in real firearm wind back, indeed some are already hoping it is. On the potential endangered list will be 10 shot magazines in any calibre, pump actions on Cat C and possible any competitive pistol or revolver that's got 5 shot capacity or more.
- FWIW, Port Arthur firearms, all illegal firearms bought off the black market by a gunman who didn't have a gun licence or a car licence. Lindt Café, illegal pump action shotgun, smuggled into Australia, used by a gunman with no firearms licence or even a driver's licence. The Sydney police worker brutally gunned down outside a Sydney police station, gunman had no firearms licence and the pistol was never sold in Australia, it was smuggled into Australia.
Interesting times ahead and worst of all this could have the same affect as John Howard's clamp down in the 1990s. It saw a huge rise in the amount of PVC pipe & caps sold. Many firearms went "missing" and it effectively turned law abiding firearms owners into illegal gun owners. People who weren't likely to commit a crime, broke the law.
The absurdity rolls on. Hopefully there'll be some real leadership, political leadership on the matter very soon.
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