This week’s Weekly Times carried a great story and even greater editorial on the accuracy of stats relating to firearm thefts.
This is an important issue for shooters because firearm thefts are continually used as a basis to tighten our firearm laws.
You might recall that a couple of years ago, Victoria Police were running a campaign through the Herald Sun on firearm thefts, and their view that the safes we use are not strong enough.
One Superintendent even reportedly told the media “On a good day, I can rip that open with my teeth“
Except that the data they, and anti-gun groups, is flawed. As the Weekly Times reports in this article (click here), the data on firearm thefts includes things which really aren’t guns at all – flares, nail guns and glue guns.
Gun Control Australia used the data – which shows a mysterious doubling of thefts at the beginning of this decade – to say “it’s time for a wholesale tightening of regulations. Electronic monitoring is best practice and we
must introduce this for all firearms.”
Crime Statistics Agency took over responsibility of data reporting from Victoria Police in 2015. As the article notes, the CSA is pointing to Victoria Police who say they are struggling to find anyone who can explain why or how the definition of a firearm changed.
The story is supported by this opinion piece (click here) by long term senior reporter, Peter Hunt, who notes that the definition of firearm includes items which have no fire.
This issue leads to serious consequences.
Decisions based on incorrect information leads to bad laws. In our case, wrong decisions can ruin livelihoods, continue to cause conflict with the government and regulators and mislead the public about how our laws work.
Hahaha busted the scum
We love watching this stupidity from the safety of the United States lol. Better still, it is even more fun to watch the dramatic false information on Aussie Tv about this country lol
They should be ashamed of themselves. Lying and untrustworthy oxygen thieves.
As I always say when I debate gun-grabbing fusilophobes, “If you have to tell lies to make your point, you’ve already failed to make your point”.
That’s good! Mind if I use this sometime?
It’s very true and relevant to our dilemma
I wonder when we will see the first drive by gluing. 😀
They must be running out of ideas, maybe should should be made to obtain a permit to buy a new office stationary stapler.
Got to be careful with those glue guns. They could be used in a stick up.
In SA firearms that have been rendered inoperable and certified as no longer a firearms by Ballistics Section of SAPOL are now under the new SA Regulations are now required to be registered as of 1 Jul 2018. Of course if you have one of these and you do not have a firearms licence (quite legal until 1 July 2018) then you will be in breach of the Firearms Regulations or you will now need to apply for a firearms licence and then obtain permission to register it under a new firearms licence. So a non firearm (as certified by SAPOL) is now a treated as a new firearm again. Craaaaaazy?
Maree,
There’s no denying we have pretty stupid politicians and police when it comes to most things including our gun laws and a gun hating Prime minister that was more akin to a dictator that shoved our current gun laws down our throats, but the one thing you must remember in your mussing’s is that we dont have the benefit / protection of a 2’nd amendment born out of 2 civil wars like you guys, we started out as nothing more than a prison colony, we will always have to fight these parliamentary fools with logic and evidence something they clearly lack, and yes your right about the false information on our TV, we have friends in Mississippi that set the record strait every time i talk to them, but our media is largely controlled by Fox Media (Gun hating Rupert Murdoch) which happily puts to print gun control Australia’s (consisting of about 2 people) miss information so you must see the up hill battle we constantly face, if our polies and police are true to form then the exposure of this blog will no doubt get quickly swept under the carpet and ignored by the mainstream media, so how about lending us some words of wisdom rather than laughing at us, we are after all shooters and gun owners and are all on the same team