No I'm not in anyway going to defend any crime, especially any crime involving a legal or illegal firearm whether it was a fool's mistake, a genuine planned threat or resulted in death or injury. Never.
So this week there were 2 incidents. One was a gun shop was robbed at gun point, the other a young person is alleged to have returned to the school he was expelled from in an unregistered vehicle & discharged a rifle in the car park & the rifles he had were not registered to him. That's the broadbrush description because until these matters go to court we're not going to know what the hell every detail is. Having said that, it is alleged the young person discharged the firearms but not at any person, then put them down & called police. Police arrived, nothign escalated & the shooter was calmly arrested without any struggle. I say calmly but I'll wait & see what is reported, calmly as in no likelihood of struggle or "death by cop", I'll wait & see but scuttle butt says a young lad might have been distressed in the extreme realising what he'd done in order to possible get attention & help. That's guessing & unconfirmed but Col Blanch's media speech was very calm & professional.
In contrast the Premier wrongly compared this to USA school shootings & fanned the flames most likely for theatrical effect & political drama points. He should have been far more professional, showed some statesmanaship. He should have said...
"We're still gathering details on the entire incident & everything that led up to it. We'll be providing support for all involved should they need it. Children, teachers, their families, WA Police, the alleged shooter & his family. We ask people to remain calm & allow the professional people involved to go about their business & everyone can go about their lives safely & normally. There is now no threat to the public or police & we ask that the public refrain from social media theorising & allow the in place process to take its unfettered course. Soon as we're able to make further comment we will, but for now there is no threat to the public from that incident. In a seperate unrelated incident there was a robbery at a WA Gun shop and that incident is still live so I won't comment on that at all but will return to the WA Police Commissioner to comment on what he can but I remind you this is an operational matter at the WAPolice are only able to comment so far as they pursue that person"
And yet he didn't. He fanned the flames & said the government's aim was to reduce the number of firearms in the community. Sadly there is no evidential research to say reducing legal firearms in the community reduces gun crime. Sounds bizarre & counter intuitive.
Australia has more guns per capita than Mexico.
Mexico has more homicides & more gun related homicides than Australia per capita.
Its quite clear, the amount of guns isn't the peak cause of homicides or violent crime.
Mexico has very rigourous processing of applications for a gun licence...although so say it's just slow & ineffective with some applications taking between 3 & 6 months to process.
Gun Ownership
Australia - 14.5 Firearms per 100,000 people ( #45 in the world)
Mexico - 12.9 Firearms per 100,000 people ( # 53 in the world)
Gun Deaths
Australia - 0.10 deaths per 100,000 people ( #156 in the world)
Mexico - 15.55 deaths per 100,000 people ( # 10 in the world)
So in that comparison, its not the number of firearms in the community that is the key driver to gun deaths & gun crime. Now the dismissive answer is "Oh but Mexico is country with greater crime, drugs, drug & people smugglers, cartels..." and I agree. Its not the number of guns that's causing crime, its other factors otherwise we'd have greater crime here...so even the rebuttal proves the point. The number of guns doesn't push the amount of crime, the culture of the society does.
If Mr Papalia & Mr McGowan's idea had merit then there must be a magical number that stops gun crime. If a person owns what 10 guns they'll be fine, but if they own eleven or more they'll be more likely to grab a firearm they own & kill or rob someone? Or is the magic danger number 2 firearms or 23?
Creating a threat, demonising, then loudly & unrelentlessly pounding the media about that demon & saying WA's only hope & champion is their government who'll fight the threat & save WA is a well worn, well playing trick.
It was Clive Palmer, Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, COVID, Firearms...oddly didn't go all out on Foot & Mouth Disease like the other threats. Re Palmer & $30 Billion law suit...you go to court THEN you win the case THEN the Judge decides if damages are required THEN the judge decides how much is to be paid. You don't go to court & lodge an invoice for the amount you think you are battling for.
The $30 Billion that would have bankrupted the state was a fictional number...probably by Palmer to get more prestige & attention, possibly an out of court settlement (?) & by McGowan to build a demon that only he could save WA from. The legislation he passed to removed the ability of an Australian citizen taking legal action that the government was likely to lose...it was worked on for months in secret with a law firm & just a couple of people from cabinet & them dropped in the parliament without any notice. The opposition was summoned & informed about it as the Attorney General was on his feet putting the bill to parliament whilst the Premier put the wind up opposing party's leaders to pass it fast or WA suffers. They were out flanked & out foxed and a veyr dubious bill was passed.
That is the hallmark of the current government.
I'll wait to hear more but police en route to the school car park incident had not classified the young person as an "active shooter"
That doesn't mean no threat, but it means at that point, the person is not seeking people to shoot, he isn't holding the guns, he's given up before Police arrive.
This was not anything like the Premier's horrible political smash n grab effort calling it a south/southern American style event in any way.
He was determined to build the worst demon he possibly could so he can fight the demon he wants, that he knows he can defeat to grab "we're keeping you safe" even though the demon is invented.
Col Blanch's comments were more reserved & precise, the Government's were flame fanning & political motivated.
Appalling.
He used to go to the rifle club on the weekend to learn & compete. No big deal.
Difference was, he rode his single speed push bike from home, down the main street with his rife over his back & sometimes he even stopped in the main street to buy sweets. I asked did it freak everyone out. He said no. No one batted an eyelid, it was the same reaction if he was carrying a hockey stick or a cricket bat.
As he suggested, times have changed a lot & oddly there's probably less firearms in the community now, there's been amnesties, buy backs, calibre restrictions, some guns banned altogether, actual requirements to have a gun licence. Its not the number of guns that have changed, something in society has changed & somehow we're not feeling safer unless we're heavily regulated or perhaps over regulated. It might be because that is to make up from parentling that nowadays lacks strong strict boundaries & kids are being taught to be good citizens obedienat to the government instead of being taught how to be good adults in the old days.
Its not really the number of guns in society that is the prime driver of gun crime. It jsut isn't. Its something in society itself. Time to be honest.
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