Yes the comment was along those lines...WA Firearms, We Must Not Get Like The USA...
That was the sentiment of the then WA Premier Mark McGowan when the WA Police Minister made several announcements about Firearms Reforms in WA.
But its a sentiment that is actually very unhelpful & possibly only driven by party politics.
Putting aside the USA has a different regulatory framework around firearms & a constitutional section allowing them to do things we do not do, we still cannot become like America.
Horribly misleading word stunt, we cannot become like the USA insert full stop.
Firstly Mr Papalia decided to make a Firearms Reform Announcement on a SUNDAY of all days. It was the media equivlent of stealing a home run...he thought.
The WA Liberal Party was having a very successful State Conference. Libby Mettam was Political Party Leader, Caroline Di Russo was elected State President. The "Clan" was on the lie low back foot, big gains were made. That was the Saturday & then Mr Papalia tried to heighten the scare value of firearms ownership & said he'd be bringing in "Ongoing Mental Health Checks" on all firearms owners. He stole the media attention.
Of course, even ardent anti-gun campaigners say that won't help. Clinical Psycologists pointed out you need at least 10-20 hours with a patient to properly establish a baseline for a diagnosis & to even begin to map treatment.
Even if its only 10 hours, multiply that by 90,000 licenced firearms owners that 900,000 hours of clinical diagnosis that we don't know who pays for & there certainly isn't the staff for in WA's already under staffed, under funded, under resourced mental health sector.
He soon baulked & walked back from that within weeks & it went to undescribed "health checks"
There is currently no mental health test that can predict future acts of violence or murder.
Not helped by the then Premier saying we don't want to get like America.
Well, good news for him. We can't. Try as some might, you cannot make a case for that being even remotely possible and if you can, you need to make sure you know what it is that America is like.
Try this fact...
Which types of firearms are most commonly used in gun murders in the U.S.?
In 2020, the most recent year for which the FBI has published data, handguns were involved in 59% of the 13,620 U.S. gun murders and non-negligent manslaughters for which data is available. Rifles – the category that includes guns sometimes referred to as “assault weapons” – were involved in 3% of firearm murders. Shotguns were involved in 1%. The remainder of gun homicides and non-negligent manslaughters (36%) involved other kinds of firearms or those classified as “type not stated.” (*)
So 59% of firearms used in US murder are handguns. They're banned in WA. You can only get them after going through a highly regulated process & they can only be used at specific club ranges in competitions.
Rifles constitute only 3% of gun murders. We have rifles in WA.
What is the most used type of firearm used in Western Australia? Well these are older figures based on firearm categories but best we can find (**)
So we can already see a glaringly fact, most gun homicides are from Prohibited Class firearms.
2nd Highest Class is Handguns.
Class C is the very interesting one even with these older stats. Not even one Cat C firearm & yet the odd "VPF List" of Firearms that the Government recently banned were all fitting Class C criteria. So either there was a massive jump in Cat C Type Gun Homicides in WA recently or...or what? Fearmongering for some reason?
On top of that, those are by firearm types. In the Cat H or Handguns, it doesn't specify how many were lawful club firearms, how many were home made, illegally smuggled in or other blackmarket handguns & how many were police service firearms.
Murders by WA Police Districts.
Esperance Goldfields District 3
Pilbara District 2
South West District 1
Great Southern District 0
Kimberley District 0
Mid West District 0
Some take home points
- 1) So the Regional Police Districts with the most number of people & the most number of firearms is the South West District & the Great Southern District & they had a total of 3 murders.
- We don't know how many, if any involved firearms
- If they did involve firearms we don't know if they were legal or illegal firearms
- If they did involve firearms we don't know what type of firearm category nor what calibres
- We don't know how many involved firearms on the new VPF List that were recently outlawed.
- If any murders did involve firearms we don't know if any involved or were caused by mental illness
- We do know that because of 3 murders using unknown weapons or perhaps no weapons at all, there are calls from the Minister to not only outlaw firearms that may not be involved in any crimes, there is a push to restrict the number of firearms amongst regional people, farmers, station owners, pest controllers, competition shooters & recreational hunters. This makes no sense but might attract political capital.
- We know reforms are supposed to be legislative changes that help or protect but always actually work to achieve a better set of outcomes than previous Acts of Parliament deliver. I'm not seeing that.
Across WA...
Recent (as opposed to Historical) Sexual Assaults - 4160
Assault (Non Sexual, Family) - 23,792
Drug Offences - 25,713
Breaches of Violence Restraining Orders - 12,046
Total - 79,009
Priorities might be tilted towards the visual news grab on the TV.
Those crimes & the WA Police Minister & the WA Cabinet response is to set out firearms reforms to ban lawful firearms that haven't been shown to have been involved in any crime but according theofficial like pose a "direct threat" that has never been demonstrated to anyone.
Banning or restricting the number of firearms amongst anyone, especially regional Western Australians or even farmers will have no effect at all.
Again this is like banning non drinkers from having a car licence so there's a reduction in deaths via drink driving. It makes no sense but allows sight of an effort to build brand...illogical as it is.
So no. We cannot become like the USA.
When you look up the amount of gun crime they have, look up the percentage thats Drug &/or Gang related.
Most is committed with handguns & other guns that cannot be owned in WA. Rifles make a very small percentage of the guns involved in US Crime. If you're in a gang or have been convicted of a crime AND you own or carry a gun...it will be an illegal gun. You won't be a fit & proper person with a genuine need like the requirement is in WA.
People seem to be very happy to get rounded up.
And another angle where the round up is easy for the lazy thinkers.
That increased guns automatically means increased threat of gun violence & death.
No, not automatically otherwise the person owning just one firearm is far less likely to commit gun violence owning one firearm but would be more likely to shoot someone if they owned 50 guns (I don't think anyone in WA owns 50 guns apart form gun dealers)
Sounds illogical? Well it's certianly not automcatically true
Compare Australia with Mexico, a country with far more stringent & slower application processes and it has ONE GUN SHOP IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.
YES ONLY HAS ONE LEGALLY APPROVED FIREARMS DEALER
Gun Ownership.
Mexico - 12.9 Firearms per 100,000 people ( # 53 in the world)
Gun Deaths.
Mexico - 15.55 deaths per 100,000 people ( # 10 in the world)
Mexico has less firearms per capita & yet their deaths by gun is 155 times greater than Australias
Restricting the number of guns does not automatically decrease the risk of gun deaths, ensuring who ever is a fit & proper person with genuine need & adequate storage limits gun death.
Papalia has stated publicly he intents to get more guns off the streets.
He means legal guns owned by law abiding people...pity he wasn't more concerned with the nearly 80,000 offences involving Assault, Sexual Assault, Breaches of Violence Restraining Orders & Drug Offences.
To be fair, he's a MP under political pressure, who's struggling & beleagured minister fighting for his ministerial life, fighting for his political future so he needs sleight of hand reforms.
Not real reforms that help & protect the weak and vulnerable in WA from serious crimes.
Don't get rounded up. He wants you to get rounded up & thank him.
We should point out Minister Papalia recently announced he'd make it impossible for Domestic Violence offenders to possess firearms. If someone is even accused & charged with Domestic Violence their firearms will be seized until they are cleared or charges are dropped.
Great idea.
Great idea.
Great idea except that's already the case now so not sure how he'll introduce something already in place.
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