Don’t you just get that feeling where it’s Groundhog Day and you have the same pointless argument with opinionated, uneducated fools who won’t listen to facts every day?
The Daily Telegraph’s Samantha Maiden became the latest “journalist” to peddle blatant mistruths about the Adler shotgun with this piece. Maiden claims that an Adler was stolen in Victoria and found by New South Wales Police in Broken Hill. Maiden dubs it “a terrorist wet dream.” Dream being the operative word. No mention as usual that the Adler is no faster than the Chiappa 1887 or no faster than a double barrel shotgun.
One small problem with her entire claim: Monis used a La Salle Pump Action shotgun that was never registered in Australia, not a double barrel (her own damn publication even reported it). That’s right, a Category C Firearm (that’s higher than a Category A, FYI). Maiden was obviously trying to cut in on Jacqui Lambie’s action by repeating the Senator’s incorrect claims last week.
So, apparently we are meant to believe that NSW Police are leaking details of an ongoing criminal investigation to the media? And while that’s not out of the realm of possibility considering the levels of corruption and underhanded garbage we’ve seen involving the push to ban the Adler, it leads me to believe the claim by Maiden is quite frankly, bullshit. We’d be happy to be corrected on said claim if solid evidence to the contrary is provided however, nothing exists except the word of a journo, which after the media’s failed campaign against Donald Trump is looking more worthless than a Venezuelan dollar.
Even if Maiden’s claim has a ring of truth to it then this would be the first Adler out of the well over 7,000 Adler’s already in the country, with over 70,000 lever action firearms in NSW alone, that has been stolen.
How do we know it was an Adler? How do we know it was destined for the black market? Where exactly was it stolen from? Etc are all valid questions to be asked of such a claim.
Further, that’s not what NSW Police have said in NSW Parliament:
It’s certainly not what the Australian Federal Police have said to the Attorney General:
This is what happens when you shorten an Adler (thanks to the The G Solution):
So we are meant to believe that criminals are instinctively targeting lever actions, only to saw them down to half of their capacity to 2 or 3 shots and greatly affect the performance of the firearm, also when double barrel shotguns are already available for said purpose and would be much more suitable for sawing off?
It is pretty blatant that this piece is a sordid attempt to use the upcoming Sydney Siege anniversary as an emotional catalyst for yet another go at banning the Adler, after the media blitzkrieg at the Port Arthur anniversary failed miserably and then Tony Abbott’s email fiasco made even Hillary Clinton nervous.
The most laughable part? That an attempt is again being made to reclassify the Adler shotgun, using an event that was committed by a man on bail for attempted murder with an illegally acquired, illegal firearm that is in a higher classification than prior to 1996 for exactly that reason. Nothing says “reclassify this into a higher category because terrorism” more than a terrorist event that was committed with a firearm that was already reclassified into a higher category and supposedly out of reach of terrorists.
Because terrorists would also totally be keen on a lever action firearm while submachine guns are being seized in NSW this past week and being made on the Gold Coast (which is even more hilarious considering this was in the Gold Coast Bulletin). Notice Sam didn’t have much to say on those? I’m sure the terrorists that shot up the Bataclan were so despondent they couldn’t get lever actions that they had to resort to Kalasnhikovs instead.
The logic.
Further, this article is a protracted attempt to go after Troy Grant. One also suspects the hand of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation. Well, I’m sure the Mike Baird and the Nationals would be keen to risk losing the vote of their core constituency again and concede yet another 36% swing against them to the Shooters, Farmers and Fishers Party if this went to an election, because that’s exactly what will happen. As for Troy Grant, he’s the only Police Minister who actually has a firearm licence and the only Police Minister who made some kind of sense at COAG. I don’t know but I’m picking up that his knowledge and experience on this topic trumps every other single Police Minister who has repeatedly shown they know nothing about it.
The Daily Telegraph also might want to ask why Queensland Labor has gone through two Police Ministers already? Firearms perhaps?
“Defying the advice of Andrew Scipione?” Like NSWPOL defied the advice of the Australian Army during the Lindt Café fiasco? Police don’t make the law regarding firearms, they enforce it. Given NSW Police’s recent history at Lindt and Hornsby, NSWPOL commissioners should stay out of the firearm legislation process and get their own house in order.
But after all, who better to listen to than someone like Sam Maiden, who narrowly escaped a drink driving conviction and would honestly never be approved for a firearm licence.
Maiden also had a dummy spit on Twitter and tried to play the victim when challenged on the facts.
Well, perhaps Milo Yiannopolous can fill you in on why we think your opinion is invalid. The fact the Daily Telegraph heavily moderated the comments on the actual article says they were really interested in a balanced discussion. I easily could’ve been fooled by the lack of comment from any pro firearm politician or firearm organisation in the article.
If the mainstream media is worried about ‘fake news” then they’ve been guilty of producing it for the last 18 months over a lever action shotgun.
Even the AFP report to the Attorney General gets it wrong with their assumption that the Adler is popular with “Western” now known as “Single” Action competitors, as it gives them more firepower and therefore a competitive advantage. Wrong on two counts! The Adler is not a legal firearm for this match as it does not have an external hammer, and the match rules restrict competitors to only loading two rounds at a time, not five or seven. You can read the rules on the Single Action Shooting Society’s website.
great article really well written!!!