What do you do when you’re soundly losing an information war on firearms? Put a new shade of lipstick on the same pig.
Australian anti-gun groups have decided to try and find a way to claim back the narrative they’ve lost badly since the Adler debacle, by rebranding themselves as the Australian Gun Safety Alliance:
“A new alliance of concerned organisations has come together to ensure that Australia’s strong gun safety laws are protected.
Last night, the Parliamentary Friends of Gun Control launched the Australian Gun Safety Alliance to protect the integrity of the National Firearms Agreement (NFA). The Hon Andrew Leigh MP, co-Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Gun Control, said the NFA emerged from a terrible tragedy but has since saved hundreds of lives in averted homicides and suicides.
“Two decades on, it stands as an example that other countries can learn from, and a reminder of the need to remain vigilant in preventing gun violence,” Mr Leigh said.
John Alexander MP said Australians must never forget the sacrifice made by the victims of the Port Arthur massacre.
“We must remain vigilant to ensure that the gun laws made in their memory are the powerful and lasting legacy that they were designed to be,” he said.
Organisations from a wide range of sectors, including health, medical, family violence, children, education and emergency services, will work together to ensure that all governments in Australia comply with the NFA. Walter Mikac, who tragically lost his two children and his wife at Port Arthur, said the Alliance will represent the vast majority of Australians who strongly support our gun safety framework.
Lesley Podesta, CEO of the Foundation established in honour of Alannah and Madeline Mikac, said that last year, all state and territory governments renewed their support of a National Firearms Agreement.
“However, remarkably, not a single government is fully compliant,” she said.
The introduction of gun reforms after Port Arthur have had a significant impact on the safety of the Australian community. Deaths from firearms have more than halved.
After the gun reforms were introduced, there had been no mass shootings in Australia between 1996 and May 2018 when the tragic murder/ suicide occurred in WA. It has been estimated that without our gun reforms we may have expected to have at least 16 mass shootings since Port Arthur.
Yes, a state that has had three massacres this year alone – one of them that was not stopped by WA’s overly draconian firearm laws and two others committed with a pair of scissors and a knife – is being used as an excuse for more civilian disarmament. Solid argument.
Andrew Leigh’s claim that “hundreds of lives have been saved” is more dishonest rubbish. Leigh provides no evidence at all for this claim and ignores the 46% decline in firearm deaths between 1980-1996, well before the National Firearm Agreement was even suggested.
We’ve had plenty of mass murders since 1996, including three this year in one state.
Further, suicide in Australia has not varied that much at all since 1996 and it’s a huge scientific stretch to claim any decrease solely on firearm law reform.
All the usual ultracrepidarians are part of this alliance and as usual, not a single shred of firearm experience or expertise among them. John Alexander still seems to be the dancing monkey for John Howard. You can’t inherit Howard’s seat and not be said monkey.
Of note are the large contingent of “public health” organisations represented, because as we all know inane public health authoritarianism is one of the scourges of Australian society. Need something you don’t like banned in Australia? Just shout “public health!” and you’ll get all the manufactured outrage and funding you need.
Remember, doctors aren’t just your GP’s they are your “specialists in life.” Just don’t mention medical malpractice.
In short, it appears obvious that there has been some kind of meeting of the minds and a concerted marketing push to redirect the civilian disarmament message toward the “safety” line. “Safety” apparently sounds much more neutral and voter friendly than gun control. It’s a cynical neurolinguistic ploy to make themselves more marketable, while also pulling the public safety fear card when needed.
Of course, safety doesn’t mean the safety of the public to protect themselves against violent criminals, as we found out with David Dunstan. Firearm safety in the Australian context, is essentially guaranteeing the safety of the ruling and political class against the public from owning firearms.
This also serves as a reminder that civilian disarmament is a bipartisan commitment from both Labor and Liberal and your vote on these two parties, if it wasn’t already obvious on any other issue affecting Australia, is a waste.
However, it’s clear to us that the formation of this group and rushed press releases are further evidence that firearm owners are winning the information war – it’s just the legislative battle that is the last frontier.
First the Church,then the banks,then the insurance companies next Port Arthur? Nay it’ll never happen.One can’t help but wonder what filth they’d uncover there.