Letter to My Local MP David Gibson

Ron Owen Gun Law Reform September 18, 2011

Dear David
Your speech is a good speech, far better than the usual verbal diarrhoea that is blurted out to the empty chambers in Australian parliaments of the 21st Century.
You have raised relevant questions which noting your comments “opposing those parts of the bill that do nothing more than target law-abiding gun owners.” means that you will be voting against it as your questions are too embarrassing for them to give meaningful and honest answers.

Though to make it an excellent speech instead of just good, you would have to take more issue on the “philosophical differences” that you mention, as morals are not just rhetoric, things are either right or wrong. They are ‘Just’ right and morally fair, or not.

Your questions raise issues, asking why the increase, of the already established mechanism that purposefully targets the law abiding, ignores the larger social problem that the government is the modern criminal, as it steals and extorts Licence fees, renewals, registration fees. It does not just feeds like a parasitical leech, licensing property, taking the money, but then it produces legislation to steal that property that the shooter has paid to register, paid to licence, forced to join a club. Hand it over for no compensation.

I am including a photo of a Model 1892 Winchester, gold inlay and high grade walnut which as it has 14 shots will be banned. The technology of a 15 shot under barrel magazine dates back to 1866. So what was legal in the 19th Century in Australia will be illegal in the 21st Century.

The question you have not asked is the $64,000. dollar question of where the line is drawn in the sand. Is it moral and just to collectively punish all the owners of property, lasers knives firearms, who have done no wrong, whilst ignoring the individuals who have caused the problem and by home manufacture could still cause the problem.

For example banning the legally owned property of thousands of people who use Laser’s in their work for surveying, mining, ( we have sold many to vehicle operators who set them up to ensure that they cut a straight drive underground) licensed pest eradication and many more legitimate uses that lasers are applied to and not legislating to address the actually issue of the individuals who misuse the instruments on the ground. Is the real problem that our Queensland Police do not wish to apprehend the culprits, or are incapable of apprehending the culprits and lazily feel that they want the legislators to do their job for them.

For Example,

Hypothetically, if an individual took the safety cladding off a microwave oven, directing the beam to the conning tower at airport and shut down the electronic safety systems, would we ban all microwave ovens from every householder?  No, parliament dare not upset to many people so quickly, they would in that instance legislate to punish the actual misuse of the micro wave.
So why are firearms, lasers and knives treated differently, well parliament presume that they can get way with this sort of ‘punish the innocent; legislation as not all the shooters have the same equipment so the legislators, the police, can reduce the shooting fraternity piecemeal.

At present our elected representatives, vote for legislation well knowing, that police and Magistrates Courts will misuse it provisions within it, to punish the innocent, these are the actions of a despotic regime, and good people should have no part, in upholding this misuse of law.
Once the wrong and injustice of ‘punishing the innocent’ legislation is recognised then all similar legislation should be viewed as what it is, in truth, ‘reprehensible’.

History shows that bans on drugs, guns, fireworks, alcohol have never worked, parliament loses credibility every time it attempts to legislate another social engineering disaster. Another collective punishment of owners forcing compliance, forcing them to hand over their property, with the threat of a conviction against them, the loss of careers, jobs, all their shooting licences, the loss of all their property and sporting guns. Senior citizens of our area have taken the decision to permanently check out, when faced with the registration alternative, well knowing that confiscation follows registration. They are gone now but have been proven right in their advice.

For many years governments have known that blanket bans or reductions in firearms numbers do not reduce crimes or suicides. Suicides statistics, have proved that the tools used for the deed make no difference to the amount of suicides, or the success rate. During the early 1970s Britain had a large percentage of suicides due to poisoning from people putting their head in the gas oven and not lighting it. On the introduction of non lethal Natural Gas, during a one year period, deaths from gassings ceased to exist, but the suicide rate took its normal increase. (I have the relevant data for this if needed)

Legislators, also have had the benefit of the real figures, the parliamentary library is at their disposal so they do not have to rely on the Anti Gun academics, self interested theories, manufactured for the next government grant, which always ignore the creation of the new crime of home invasion. Home invasion was unknown before the 1997 un informed gun laws, it was either burglary, whilst the home owners were absent, now since people have been disarmed the bad guys break in and help themselves as there is no deterrent. A recent figure for Australia was over 140,000 crimes per year. The anti gun academics use the imaginary figures of the 1997 Gun Buy back claiming that the 700,000 guns collected is the reason for a decline in firearm homicide. Besides, the fact that homicide with firearms began declining in 1990 (see AIC) the figure of 700,000 figure is very dubious, the computer used by the Queensland Buy Back were auctioned, purchased, hard drives resurrected and the information resides in a Gympie location. Queensland the largest shooting state only accepted 70,000 and Victoria as restrictions were already in place only handled less than 204 centre fire semi autos rifles so the figure of 700,000 is quite fictitious. Anyway, even at 700.000, we have far more firearms in use in Australia now than in 1997, as since then our medium sized business has transacted over 50,000 firearms in last 14 years, we have a figure of 1500 approx dealers in Australia. We are not the biggest, by any means so take that as an average. That 75,000,000 transacted in the last 14 years throughout Australia. This figure does not include the illegal amount transacted during this period. Just call 10 % of these guns as being new guns, (which could be 50% ) that is $7.5 million new guns into Australia. These figures are the reason why Queensland Weapons Licencing cannot cope with the paper work and New South Wales parliament if currently legislating to remove Air Rifles from there registration system. Say that this hypothetical figuring is similar to the Alpers and Chapman 700,000 and is wrong and the real figure is only 1.5 million or even if the growth is only 750,000. That means that more guns in the community means less murders. All figures can be manipulated so becomes down to what we personally believe, what we know, what is right from wrong.

Another huge moral wrong is that our legislators are committing another crime against the people by wasting police time, taxation contributions, and human endeavour in production line of legislation, ever increasing, next get the legislative axe will be the humble Lee Enfield No 1 Mk III rifle it will fall under their hammer as its capacity is 11 shots, ten in the magazine and one in the chamber, (living dangerously but they were made to operate that way) all the time the Government is ignoring the crime problem that continues to escalate, committed by individuals and should be prosecuted as individuals only then will it impacts on the individual criminal. While the legislators chase down the wrong problem the real problem keeps increasing, so then the legislators take another bite out of peoples property rights and the problem still escalates, the general public still suffer in silence as the initial crime problem is not being addressed ever. This contributes to the breakdown in society as are repeated in the United Kingdom on a regular basis, and until this is addressed we can expect more of the same in Australia.

The third moral sin is in not compensating for that property.  Our family trust, and Owen Guns has suffered profusely under these authoritarian laws and due to experience believe that even if the government decide to include legislation to pay compensation, unpopular people like ourselves would miss out completely and they would break us in court on numerous appeals, as they have done in the past. Owen Guns has lost millions of dollars in firearms and parts.
If the government was serious about compensating people for detachable magazines over ten shots. They would not have three times refused to take 55,000  30 shot magazines that belong to the business. They want them for nothing, which is just planned government theft by legislation. If they were concerned that they could fall into the wrong hands and that would be contrary to public safety, one would think they would be prepared to pay for that legally owned property. So while they don’t I at least know they are not genuine.
 They have taken 2000 new 9mm pistols, 11.5 million dollars worth of semi auto parts and not paid. How can we trust our government with anything? Its just extortion hand it in or lose everything licences business, property..  

Your point about detachable magazines should be explained by the government, but is for most shooters irrelevant, as the police legislators have covered it both ways with the use of the word ‘capacity’ as soon as that word is applied any firearm will be banned. Remington Pump Actions, Colt Lightnings, Timberwolfs, Rossi, Marlin, Winchester, Henry, Uberti, Taurus, If it has a 10 shot magazine and one in the chamber its 11 so that rifle and magazine is banned if you have a 5 shot magazine internal or external and a large one can be fitted the use of the word ‘capacity’ ensures it is banned.
The Labour government wants all shooters out of the way, completely and cannot cope with the increase in numbers of people coming into the sport and staggered by the resistance to there will. As the LNP as a group says, ‘it will support this Bill’, it will be the third time that the Liberal National Party has betrayed the shooters. Labour, has cleverly stooged your party again and so they will be in power for another 14 years.

 Mr LANGBROEK speech stating that LNP will not be opposing this Bill fills me with dismay, if I did not love Gympie, Australia and its people, (crossing politicians off the list) I would move to Argentina, or another South American county as they have a more straight forward and honest process of appointing their countries leaders. Revolution.

All the Best
Ron Owen