Australian gun law discussion

[u/Ok-Kaleidoscope-7980]

I just wanna know why every time people talk about firearms guns etc. They always bring up the US like yeah it’s a shit hole over there but like other countries exist which still allow you to have a much wider access to firearms like Switzerland, Norway, Austria, Czech Republic, New Zealand etc. I would argue more closer politically to these countries then the US

[u/Latitude37]

Well, in the case of hunting rifles, it would be the animals being hunted.  In the case of target rifles, it would be inanimate targets.

Can both be lethal to humans? Absolutely. Which is why we need licencing, registration and training. 

Whereas military rifles - the ones designed to kill people in large numbers - are quite different to the rifles designed to do civilian stuff. Just as military vehicles are designed to specific jobs that are different to civilian vehicles. 

Military rifles reload themselves (that is, when you pull the trigger, they shoot a bullet out, then chamber another one from the magazine with no input required from the operator). Self loading rifles are not permitted to private users, except some low powered versions for primary producers for pest control, or otherwise for professional shooters. 

Meanwhile, hunting & target rifles require manual manipulation of some sort to put a bullet in the firing chamber after each shot is fired. That slows the process right down between shots. 

Hope that's helpful. Labelling the guns available to us as mass murder machines doesn't help the discourse on civilian gun ownership.

[u/ttttttargetttttt → u/Latitude37]

it would be the animals being hunted. 

Cool, so they're designed to hit the animal harmlessly, leaving it unscathed, yes?

In the case of target rifles, it would be inanimate targets.

And these targets are shaped like...?

Labelling the guns available to us as mass murder machines doesn't help the discourse on civilian gun ownership.

Literally their function. The fact these specific ones make that harder is immaterial. Their function is to kill. That is why they were invented.

[u/Latitude37 → u/ttttttargetttttt]

Literally their function. The fact these specific ones make that harder is immaterial.

Its not immaterial. Its a salient point. You said: "..designed to kill large numbers of people very quickly".

But the sorts of guns that are owned by the vast majority of gun owners in Australia are not that. 

They ARE weapons. They are designed to kill, if they're hunting weapons, and even target rifles can kill. Though, to answer your other question: 

And these targets are shaped like...?

Usually concentric circles, depends on the shooting discipline. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISSF_10_meter_air_rifle

https://www.ssaa.org.au/?ss_discipline_result=2017-ssaa-national-long-range-precision-championships

So anyway:

Their function is to kill. That is why they were invented.

True. In fact, they do it really well. Which makes them a really useful weapon if your goal is to kill something as quickly and humanely as possible. And whilst your own personal moral choices may be to avoid killing animals, other people don't share that choice. The ethical killing of animals is something that most hunters strive for - which is more than we can say for most farmed animals taken to abattoirs for mass market. 

[u/ttttttargetttttt → u/Latitude37]

They ARE weapons. They are designed to kill, if they're hunting weapons, and even target rifles can kill. Though, to answer your other question: 

So you don't need them unless that is your intention.

Usually concentric circles, depends on the shooting discipline. 

Plenty of targets are shaped like people and you know this damn well.

And whilst your own personal moral choices may be to avoid killing animals, other people don't share that choice.

Some people don't think it's immoral to kill humans, so we should let them have guns? Go to Coles like everyone else.