Ludicrous to own guns

2 Pages·2021·0.09 MB·English

Ludicrous for
ordinary people to
have guns: PM

November 6 2002

It was ludicrous that ordinary people in Australia should
have access to handguns, Prime Minister John Howard said
today.

Mr Howard said he supported the concept of police, security
industry workers and sporting shooters having such
weapons.

"But other than that you don't need a handgun, and I think
most people would agree with that," he told Adelaide radio
station 5DN today.

"It's just ludicrous that people should have access, and a lot
of them do. The rules are too lax."

Mr Howard said he did not want to see Australia go down
the American path where guns were "worshipped".

"That has brought untold misery and harm and also
delivered to America a very high murder rate for a stable,
open western society," he said.

Mr Howard also pointed to independent research which
indicated that the number of gun-related murders in
Australia had fallen in the six years since the prohibition on
long arms in the wake of the Port Arthur massacre.

"They are measured claims I make," he said.

"I'm not pretending that we can abolish evil and
unhappiness by getting rid of guns.

"But I do think we can make a contribution towards a safer
Australia and I do think we have a capacity to avoid going
down the American path."

Last month's double fatality shooting at Monash University
in Melbourne has prompted the federal government to move

to restrict access to high-powered pistols, proposing a
buyback scheme and amnesty for owners of illegal
weapons.

AAP

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