Another epic failure of Australia’s “tough” gun laws leads to killing of Queensland Policeman by full auto firearm

A 24 hour stand-off between Queensland Police and a known criminal has resulted in a Policeman being killed with a full auto firearm near Adare in Queensland.

Senior Constable Brett Forte was gunned down by reknown criminal Rick Maddison when Forte attempted to stop Maddison’s vehicle. This then led to a 24 hour stand-off at a farm house near Adare where Police and Maddison exchanged gun fire. This culminated in Maddison being shot and killed by SERT officers after negotiations failed and Maddison attempted to escape.

From the video evidence circulating it is 100% clear to us (until proven otherwise) that Maddison used a fully automatic firearm.

Fully automatic firearms have been banned on the Australian mainland since the 1930’s. The only state to allow automatic firearms before 1996 was Tasmania, and even then it was difficult to obtain a licence for one and they were not common place. They are also legal in New Zealand on a collector’s permit.

The media did their best to damage control the situation with their usual neurolinguistic schtick. There was this effort from The Chronicle “journalist” Tara Miko, repeatedly calling the firearm in question “semi automatic”and “high powered.” That was right after this gem from Channel Nine journalist Shane Doherty. Liberal MP Andrew Laming also made this incredibly ill thought out statement.

The ABC then asked the question about how Maddison was able to obtain his firearm despite his extensive criminal history. Perhaps they should have watched their own 4 Corners from two weeks ago? However, the shock of seeing Dr Samara McPhedran and Rob Nioa quoted in the ABC article instead of Philip Alpers and Sam Lee took us by surprise, as did this quote:

“I think that one of the big issues in relation to firearms legislation, is that there is this obsession with governments focusing on farmers and licensed individuals and not enough efforts put into stopping criminals getting illicit firearms.”

Credit where credit is due, however, this does not instantly atone for the preceding 21 years of regular anti-firearm agitprop and outright mistruths about firearm ownership in Australia coming from the ABC. The use of “high powered weapon” is also eye-roll worthy. This is quite the about face from a network just a few weeks removed from giving Rebecca Peters an unchallenged platform to spout her usual nonsense. Note that she hasn’t said anything about this incident but will likely wear her Order of Australia medal if required to.

The shooting of Senior Constable Forte is the latest in a string of epic failures of Australia’s “tough” gun laws and just days after the calamity of the Lindt Café was laid bare.

Rick Maddison had a charge sheet the length of your arm. He was disqualified from owning a firearm due to extensive criminal convictions, many with violence. Yet somehow, he was able to get his hands on a fully automatic firearm and plenty of ammunition and gun down a Policeman and then engage in a shootout with Police.

Note how David Shoebridge, Gun Control Australia and Philip Alpers have said nothing? That’s because they have absolutely no angle. None.

Further, the argument against Australia’s gun laws stopping mass shootings is null and void. Had Maddison wanted to go on a shooting spree instead of a suicide by cop saga against Queensland Police, he could have easily done it with the firearms he had and could’ve easily equalled or bettered the Port Arthur body count with no resistance.

There were also the arguments from the online tacticians “oh the policeman was armed and the gun didn’t save him so you don’t need a firearm for self defence”.

Forte was sadly ambushed and had practically no chance. Furthermore, had Forte been able to survive the ambush, although outgunned he would have at least had a chance to be able to return fire and buy him some time to escape or possibly eliminate the threat. Had he been unarmed he would have had no chance.

While the facts about exactly what firearm(s) Maddison used will hopefully come out in the wash, speculation still rages. Channel 7 claimed it was an SKS. After some extensive analysis, we suspect that it was actually a Chinese Type 63 and not an SKS, however we will have to wait and see when, or if, that is disclosed to the public. That and if Maddison indeed had more than one firearm.

The shooting of Senior Constable Forte is undeniably tragic. A tragedy that may have been prevented if the judicial system had done it’s job. A tragedy that also could have been prevented by the federal government pursuing criminals instead of wasting millions of tax payer dollars and months of resources on an authoritarian circus regarding a 140 year old lever action shotgun, attacking  the law abiding and wasting time “reviewing” laws that do absolutely nothing for “public safety” then only to change nothing and make some of them tighter.

Alright Sam Lee, let’s hear those excuses.