Australian student Jason Cleary-Gorton proves he knows nothing about gun laws with “open letter” drivel

Trying to capitalise on the “March for Change” DomainFax acquired a high school student to push the anti-gun agenda with this open letter:

“So I write this letter to you, the survivors, as you prepare to “March For Our Lives” in Washington DC today, to encourage you to maintain your rage; to stand with you; to tell you that gun control can work, as it has worked here in Australia. But, this is not a letter from the other side of the world written with self-righteous arrogance; it is from a schoolboy who shares your hopes for change, but also your fears, as I watch with alarm while our current crop of politicians dilute Australia’s stringent gun laws.

But first, proof that gun control can work.

In 1996 at Port Arthur, an Australian town once known for its history and tourism, became synonymous with bloodshed and death. Children, mothers, fathers ran in desperation as the rapid fire of a semi-automatic weapon turned an angry ordinary man into a marksman, who hunted and killed 35 strangers.

Our politicians resolved to change things; to put lives ahead of money; ahead of special interest groups; ahead of their political survival. That rare breed of politician, led by then prime minister John Howard, stared down the gun lobby and introduced far-ranging national gun controls.

Our state premiers, similar to your governors, were asked to support him by putting the safety of Australians before political futures. Robert Borbidge, who was the premier of our most conservative state, Queensland, knew that in voting for these gun laws he would be ending his political career. His integrity and determination to do what was right cost him his job at the next election, but it saved lives.

Since then, there have been zero – that’s right, zero – mass shootings in Australia. Please don’t let anyone from the NRA tell you that Australia is a “special case” or that prior to Port Arthur there were no massacres. Before the National Firearms Agreement, there had been a mass shooting (defined as four or more victims) every year for the preceding 13 years. Gun control works.

Not written with “self-righteous arrogance” (had to say it twice) but then proceeds to go on a condescending diatribe about how gun control “worked” in Australia and how much better we are than the US for it. Righto.

Jason’s letter seems like just another by-product of the indoctrination around firearms in Australia for the last 21 years and the falling standards of Australia’s education system, teaching students what to think instead of how to think. Using kids to push agendas is anti-gun 101 and this piece is no exception.

I actually don’t believe Jason has written this – it appears ghost written and you can guess by who. However, let’s work on the basis that he indeed wrote it which is entirely plausible.

First of all, the “research” from notorious anti-gun frauds Simon Chapman and Philip Alpers that Jason cites, even admitted no causal relationship between the NFA and declines in homicide, so it appears Jason hasn’t even read it nor understands the research. There was a 46% decline in the per capita homicide rate between 1980 to 1996:

The United States has had a long term per capita decline of 49% since 1980 despite the firearm supply and concealed carry holders reaching record numbers:

Second, Dr Samara McPhedran wrote a stinging rebuttal to the Sydney University research and the myth about 13 mass shootings and none since. This was expanded on by Senator David Leyonhjelm in the Senate this week:

It appears Jason has also quite conveniently forgotten about the Monash University shooting and other incidents that all happened in Australia, post 1996.

Rob Borbridge was financially blackmailed by John Howard who withheld federal funding for health and education to Queensland until they passed the National Firearms Agreement. It was hardly “for the greater good” or a noble act, which resulted in the wipe out of the National Party and Howard scraping home at the 1998 election. Jason wasn’t even alive at the time of Port Arthur Massacre but apparently feels inclined to tell us all about it and the events surrounding it.

Australians still seem to have this ridiculous cultural perception that the United States cares what we think. Call it Australian Exceptionalism or whatever you will, to be quite frank it’s become completely cringeworthy.

The hypocrisy when we don’t like it when other countries tell us how to run our internal affairs but feel obliged to tell our ANZUS treaty protectors to the north how they should conduct theirs, just adds to this. Americans, aside from a few grabbers in the US, don’t care what we think about their gun laws so get over it.

Fortunately, there are many junior and teenage shooters in Australia who don’t buy into this drivel and more power to them, one of them is headed to the Commonwealth Games.

The best thing you can do as a student, Jason, is study history and learn why the United States had a revolution, why it has the 2^nd amendment and understand why US citizens are protective of it and the other freedoms guaranteed to them by the constitution. Then you might also want to look around at the numerous historical examples of totalitarian states that disarmed their populace and what ensued.

The next best thing you can do is get yourself down to a range in Australia, see the other side of the argument and try shooting for yourself.

You also might want to ask yourself if Australia banning guns because they look scary is any kind of scientific or rational based legislation, that’s if you know what Australia’s gun laws actually are.

Otherwise your opinion, much like many other Australians’ who know very little about this subject, is just background noise.