Letter to Premier O'Farrell Regarding Ammunition Control Amendment Bill

Honorable Premier,

I wish to vigorously make my opposition known to the Firearms Amendment (Ammunition Control) Bill 2012.

This Bill will do nothing to eliminate drive by shootings or control the illegal use of firearms in NSW as the perpetrators are not licensed shooters and their firearms are not registered. This legislation is squarely aimed at law abiding citizens.

Similar legislation to the Government's proposed changes to ammunition laws have already failed in South Australia.

As this Bill now stands it is simply another costly paper shuffle for gunshop owners and a further burden on the law abiding shooters of NSW.

I assist a farmer controlling feral animals, namely pigs and goats, on his property in Western NSW. My rifle is not of large enough caliber to humanely kill feral pigs so if I purchase the ammunition the farmer lends me his registered .30 caliber rifle for which I am licensed shooter.

Under the proposed legislation the farmer will also have to supply me with the ammunition but has stated he will not do this because he believes that under the Legislation it will be illegal for him to supply me, a licensed shooter, with the ammunition! What a ridiculous situation we find ourselves in. The upshot will be me shooting pigs with, as we say, not enough gun. This leads to the inhumane death of the animals involved.

I must show my Shooters License already when I wish to purchase ammunition and then I must store it in a separate safe to my firearms. I agree with this. I do not need any further legislation to do with ammunition that will not stop a criminal from illegally getting his/her hand on ammunition. He/she will get it anyway. The law means nothing to criminals, only to the law abiding. Surely you don’t target the law abiding citizen to halt criminal activity?

I am a law abiding citizen who has now undergone two police integrity searches, one for my firearms license and the previous one, a probity examination for the NSW Casino Control Authority. Neither of these searches has declared me an undesirable person!

I would like to know why the NSW Government plans to treat me as one?

It would be far more sensible for the Government to simply make it an offence to give ammunition to a person who does not hold a firearm license. As I read the present Firearms Act, it is already an offence to sell ammunition to such a person. The Government should consider moving this amendment to their legislation and increase penalties for all crimes involving the use of a firearm but please don’t continue to punish the innocent whilst the guilty escape.

With this legislation there is a brilliant chance to grasp the nettle and really do something for law and order and the people of NSW by attacking the criminals, not the law abiding. We, the citizens of NSW, did not vote the Coalition in for the purpose of grandstanding and making life harder for the law abiding.

Thank you for taking the time to read this email and please raise my concerns with the appropriate Government Minister.

Yours faithfully

Pat Cummins

MAJOR PARTIES CHALLENGED ON SYDNEY'S GUN CRIME!

The Shooters and Fishers Party has challenged the Coalition and Opposition to get fair dinkum in addressing Sydney's gun crime, and back its Legislation introduced into State Parliament today to make it a separate crime to use a firearm in a crime.

The Hon. Robert Borsak MLC, gave notice of the Legislation today, and says he expects support from both major parties.

"This gives them the chance to actually do something about the current gun crime in Sydney, rather than compete with each other to see who can come up with the "toughest new laws".

He said The Shooters and Fishers Party has always advocated extra penalties for those who use firearms whilst committing a crime.

"Ten years ago the coalition, in Opposition, supported our initial attempt to change the Legislation. They now have the chance to support it again, but this time make it law.

"We want the law to regard the possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime as a separate crime in itself, not an aggravating offence, as the law sees it now.

"It will be a separate, additional crime to be dealt with separately by the law both in terms of the judgement and the penalty the court might impose.

"The Bill proposes that on conviction of the separate offence of being in possession of a firearm while committing a crime, the person so convicted will be sentenced to a period of detention NOT LESS than the period of sentence for the core crime, to be served cumulatively.

"This gives the judge wide latitude in determining the total of the main sentence and the cumulative sentence, but establishes the important principle that a separate conviction has been recorded and a separate, specific sentence imposed.

"The purpose of such a penalty is to make it inadvisable for people to use a firearm when they commit a crime," he said. Mr Borsak said licensed firearm owners are fed up with having to defend themselves from ill-informed comment about who is committing these current crimes.

"The fact is, none of those committing these drive by shootings will be licensed firearm owners, nor will any of their firearms be legal.

"The Shooters and Fishers Party hopes the Coalition has the "bottle" to again back these proposed changes, because they will impact on those using firearms in crime.

"I have heard the Opposition calling for "tough action" and "tough new laws' to deal with the current situation. Well, Mr Robertson, here they are!"

"And as for the Greens, if they stay true to form, I wouldn't expect them to want to get tough on criminals, why would they change a habit of a lifetime? Mr Borsak said.

BAD POLICY Is BAD POLICY!

Robert Borsak

Published on 14-02-2012 17:12

0 Comments

The Government's proposed changes to ammunition laws have already failed in South Australia.

It is unfortunate the NSW Government did not consult with us about their changes. We could have given valuable advice on the way forward that would not see the Government being embarrassed by sloppy legislation.

The recommendation from the Police Commissioner on the sale of ammunition will have no practical impact on gun crime. The same Legislation was adopted some time ago in South Australia and failed to do what that Government claimed to be able to do.

The Shooters and Fishers Party is ready to work with the Government in combating organised crime, but not at the expense of licensed and law abiding firearm owners.

There is a simple, practical measure that can remove any perceived vagueness in the current legislation and which gives police the powers to arrest and charge criminals, without imposing undue burden on firearms dealers and legal firearm owners.

It would be far more sensible for the Government to simply make it an offence to give ammunition to a person who does not hold a firearm licence, or to a person not licensed for that category of ammunition.

It is already an offence to sell ammunition to such a person. The Government should consider moving this amendment to their legislation, or failing that, SFP will move it in the Council.

Media Release by Hon Rob Borsak MLC, Shooters and Fishers Party.

MEDIA RELEASE 

Gun control lobby must face facts: 

Firearm theft rate is falling 

01 February 2012 Shooters and Fishers Party MLC, the Hon. Robert Borsak said today that firearm theft is decreasing in NSW as the ownership of firearms rises, contrary to the misleading claims of the Greens and the so-called National Coalition for Gun Control.

He said that for more than 10 years, the theft rate has been declining in NSW, from a peak of 851 guns taken in 2001 to as low as 449 in 2006. "Meanwhile, ownership has continued to increase as the shooting sports become more popular among law-abiding NSW citizens, a trend that clearly demonstrates there is no correlation between the number of registered firearms in society and the rate at which they’re stolen. "In fact, based on NSW Firearm Registry figures, between 2001 and 2011, theft rates plunged from 0.137% of registered firearms to just 0.057%.

That is one of the great success stories in the fight against crime in NSW, Mr Borsak, said. He said this dramatic reduction in theft rates speaks volumes for the way in which responsible, law-abiding firearm owners have acted to secure their firearms and keep them out of criminal hands. “If we’d been able to cut the road toll by a similar proportion, we would be celebrating a major achievement.

Instead, firearm owners and society in general have been barraged with fear-mongering from the Greens and the National Coalition for Gun Control, which have both recently stated that firearm theft is increasing. "And their tactics are caught in the spotlight as final figures for 2011 are compiled, revealing what will probably be the lowest rate of theft (0.057%) ever recorded in NSW – certainly since figures have been kept.

Firearm owners in NSW are doing the right thing and have nothing to hide, which cannot be said of the people criticising them.

 “The Greens have an ideological hatred of firearms, while the National Coalition for Gun Control is a secretive entity that appears to have two members, does not accept new members, has no address and does nothing but pop out of its hole to make shrill claims and then disappear again, avoiding any questions that might expose its true colours,” he said. A summary of firearm theft figures in NSW has been compiled by the International Coalition for Women Into Shooting and Hunting (WiSH) and is available at this link:

 http://www.ic-wish.org/WiSH%20Fact%20sheet%20Trends%20in%20firearms%20theft%20in%20NSW.pdf

The Hon. Robert Borsak 

Coming soon to a store near you!

Succinct Poster!

This Lobbed in my Letterbox This Morning!

When Opened Out:

It looks like a steal from this post that arrived from Ron Owen a few days ago.

Why We Are a Society of FW's

It's time again for the annual 'Stella Awards'! For those unfamiliar with these awards,

they are named after 81-year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled hot coffee on herself and successfully sued

the McDonald's in New Mexico, where she purchased coffee.  You remember, she took the lid off the coffee

and put it between her knees while she was driving.  Who would ever think one could get burned doing that,

right?  That's right; these are awards for the most outlandish lawsuits and verdicts in the U.S.

You know, the kinds of cases that make you scratch your head.  So keep your head scratcher handy. 

Here are the Stellas for the past year:

  
* SEVENTH PLACE *

Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas was awarded $80,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking

her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The store owners were understandably surprised by the verdict, considering the running toddler was her own son. 

Start scratching!


* SIXTH PLACE *

Carl Truman, 19, of Los Angeles, California won $74,000 plus medical expenses when his neighbour ran over his hand with a Honda Accord.  Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal his neighbour's hubcaps. 

Scratch some more... 


* FIFTH PLACE *

Terrence Dickson, of Bristol, Pennsylvania, who was leaving a house he had just burglarized by way of the garage.  Unfortunately for Dickson, the automatic garage door opener malfunctioned and he could not get the garage door to open.  Worse, he couldn't re-enter the house because the door connecting the garage to the house locked when Dickson pulled it shut.  Forced to sit for eight, count 'em, EIGHTdays and survive on a case of Pepsi and a large bag of dry dog food, he sued the homeowner's insurance company claiming undue mental anguish.  Amazingly, the jury said the insurance company must pay Dickson $500,000 for his anguish.  We should all have this kind of anguish.  Keep scratching.  There are more... 

Two-hand scratching after this one.  


* FOURTH PLACE *

Jerry Williams, of Little Rock, Arkansas, garnered 4th Place in the Stella's when he was awarded $14,500 plus medical expenses after being bitten on the butt by his next door neighbour's beagle - even though the beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard.  Williams did not get as much as he asked for because the jury believed the beagle might have been provoked at the time of the butt bite because Williams had climbed over the fence into the yard and repeatedly shot the dog with a pellet gun. 

Pick a new spot to scratch.  You're getting a bald spot!


* THIRD PLACE *

Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania because a jury ordered a Philadelphia restaurant to pay her $113,500 after she slipped on a spilled soft drink and broke her tailbone. The reason the soft drink was on the floor: Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument. Whatever happened to people being responsible for their own actions? 

Only two more so ease up on the scratching....


* SECOND PLACE *

Kara Walton, of Claymont, Delaware sued the owner of a night club in a nearby city because she fell from the bathroom window to the floor, knocking out her two front teeth. Even though Ms. Walton was trying to sneak through the ladies room window to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge, the jury said the night club had to pay her $12,000.... Oh yeah, plus dental expenses. Go figure. 

Ok. Here we go!!

* FIRST PLACE *

This year's runaway First Place Stella Award winner was:  Mrs. Merv Grazinski, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, who purchased new 32-foot Winnebago motor home.  On her first trip home, from an OU football game, having driven on to the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the driver's seat to go to the back of the Winnebago to make herself a sandwich.  Not surprisingly, the motor home left the freeway, crashed and overturned.  Also not surprisingly, Mrs. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not putting in the owner's manual that she couldn't actually leave the driver's seat while the cruise control was set. The Oklahoma jury awarded her, are you sitting down?

She got $1,750,000 PLUS a new motor home. Winnebago actually changed their manuals as a result of this suit, just in case Mrs. Grazinski has any relatives who might also buy a motor home.

Are we, as a society, getting more stupid....
or are more members of Parliament serving on juries these days?

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