The conga line of ultracrepidarians spouting unqualified opinions over Will Hodgman’s proposals grew longer this week. This time with another Howard-era fossil, Tony Rundle, on the ABC:
“Tasmania’s former Liberal premier, Tony Rundle, who was in government when the Port Arthur massacre occurred, is urging the current State Government to rethink its controversial gun control policy.
The proposed changes include extending some licences, allowing greater access to category C weapons — such as pump action shotguns — and allowing farmers to use silencers on such weapons.
“I’m not in favour at all of watering down the gun laws of 1996 in any shape or form,” Mr Rundle told 7.30.
“I hope [the Government] will have a rethink and look at the proposal they’ve put up.”
Mr Rundle, who with then-prime minister John Howard led the push to tighten gun laws following the massacre, predicted community consultation on the policy would highlight how controversial it was.
“The main thing that governments have to do is look after the safety of the population at large, and the fewer guns that are in the community, the safer the population are likely to be,” he said.”
Yeh, the usual talking point rubbish. Key word there being former Premier.
And as we called it, the ABC decided to wheel out another Port Arthur survivor, this time Carolyn Loughton:
“Ms Loughton, who was injured during the massacre, said she was “appalled” by the proposed changes.
“I am absolutely horrified. I’m just — I can’t believe it.”
She is already penning a letter to members of the Tasmanian Government, who she said should feel ashamed.
“I have a voice and I intend to use it,” she said.
“[The Port Arthur victims] must be remembered and there was 35 of them, and their lives were cut short and as we know there were two very young, little girls and in this picture about people’s rights to own guns, that mustn’t be forgotten.”
Loughton is the same woman who infamously shouted down Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP Robert Brown on SBS Insight in 2016 at the height of the Adler debacle.
No-one is denying the tragedy that happened to your daughter or denying that you have a right to voice your opinion, Carolyn. It’s just that victimhood should not be your first and only argument in the debate and it shouldn’t automatically carry more weight than anyone else’s.
As for Tony Rundle, no-one really cares what you think. You would know 100% Tony that the National Firearms Agreement is a non-legally binding agreement. You were initially opposed to it but like other state Premiers, were held to ransom by the Howard Government to enact it by the threat of Federal funding for health and education being withheld. Tasmania and every other state is free to ignore it and aside from some federally controlled import laws, firearms are a state issue and that is that.
The changes proposed by Hodgman are relatively minor. 10-year licences are already in place in the NT, suppressors (which are 100% legal in New Zealand) are a much needed engineering control and public health money-saving initiative and Category C changes are just common sense.
This talk of watering down is a complete lie – no-one is talking about getting rid of licencing or vetting, so it’s a waste of time trying to argue otherwise.
A more important question for Tony Rundle – why did you not support a Royal Commission into the largest, most politicised spree killing in modern Australian history? Ms Loughton and the other victims of that day deserve some answers and closure.
Answer that, or forever hold your peace.
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