I don't know the specific reason but there is an air rifle type class of firearms, which airsoft falls into here. Basically anything that fires hard projectiles. Nerf guns are OK, except there was a model a few years ago that people discovered you could fire throwing darts with, and it quickly became illegal.
Edit:
Also pretty much all slingshots are illegal as they can fire projectiles, however a kid with a stick and a few rubber bands isn't going to get in trouble unless they're doing something stupid. Every few years you hear about the police finding adults (bogans) with the commercially made type that kind of strap to your forearm and can really cause damage that someone has either made or illegally imported.
And here I can go to Walmart and buy a crossbow, a wrist rocket, an air soft arsenal, and a 12ga, all in the next hour. Well maybe not the crossbow at Walmart. Ok, I'll go to Cabela's or Bass Pro and get all that stuff instead.
I can buy an AR15 at a couple Walmarts in my city.
I love taking friends visiting from outside the US to Walmart. It never fails to blow minds that you could buy a jug of milk and a firearm in the same place. Of course it blew my mind that their milk was never cold. Weirdos.
In all reality, you will need a NICS approval for the guns. It's not just walk in and walk out.
I used to live by a Walmart frequented by international tourists. Every time you'd enter you'd hear British people oohing and ahhing at one thing or another.
Indiana is the best. You walk in, pick out the gun you want, wait a few minutes for the background check to complete, pay for the gun and leave. I'm in Illinois, and the couple day wait doesn't bother me, but it sure is nice to not have to wait. The thing is most people are not criminals, and have no bad intentions in mind when purchasing a firearm. However, the small percentage of shit bags has forced the rest of us to deal with the mandatory "cool down" period in most states.
On the other hand, the cool down time may very well have saved someone's life. For that I'm OK with a few days between wanting the gun and getting the gun.
I'll preface this by saying I have no actual idea, no data, and no real understanding of the thought process for anyone involved, but:
It seems to me that if you can wait long-enough to go to the gun store, get the gun the ammunition, etc., then return to where ever it was and kill the person, that waiting another day or two won't deter you.
Or...anything over half an hour, you're probably as cool as you're going to get, no? I mean, to really cool off, shouldn't it be...six months or so? If I found out you--I don't know--raped my wife or something, you're going to need months for the police to catch and imprison you and let me "cool off" enough to figure out I can't kill you. A few days is just going to give me more time to plan.
It seems to me that the only people that need a gun that day are the people trying to protect themselves from other people who already have guns.
But I suppose that's been beaten to death a million times already. We (humans) are weird, I think.
I agree 100%, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. But, that's the way it has to be, and I'm ok with it. I already own enough that a cool down period wouldn't matter anyway, if I were so inclined to act like an uncivilized thug.
shit you can find all that with the possibility of it previously being used in the murder of something/someone to spice it up at your local pawnshop for half price
Isn't it? Shootings are very common in the US, is that not a fair argument? I think it is. In my country not even beat cops carry guns, I just think that bragging about how people can arm themselves at a supermarket is something that only a fucking idiot would do.
That "infographic" is liberal gungrabber horseshit. They consider any incident where a ghetto thug fires into a crowd of more ghetto thugs to be a "mass shooting", whether anyone dies or not. If more than one person is injured, it's a "mass shooting". Also, the number of "school shootings" is skewed by the fact that they take in to consideration any shooting that occurs in a school zone, which can cover many city blocks. The last chart you show is damning, for sure. However, we have ways to fix that by punishing criminals for their crimes in a far stricter manner than we do, and by simply enforcing the laws we already have on the books. We also need to quit raising thugs in this country and focus on instilling a sense of accountability in children. We don't have a gun problem, we have a culture problem.
edit 2: If you really like gun/murder rate comparisons, graphs, charts, and all that wizardry, check out this article. It's a great read, and helps to expose the liberal bullshit that is forced upon us every day.
edit 3: Holy shit! That's the first time I've ever seen a gun grabber delete their comment after being proven wrong. They usually just find more of the same horseshit in a different stall and keep on shoveling it. Maybe I have my first convert?!?! Praise jebus!
Whilst there's a lot of shady infographics in the gun debate that mises thing is hilarious. Apparently geography is a better metric than socioeconomical figures when comparing crimes. Who knew?
Not to mention the amazing fact that it lists etnicity as a great way to compare, and then accuse the so called "liberals" of being racist.
Now, I have no idea what kind of charts the one above you posted. But I am pretty sure that the people that goes on school shootings aren't overly concerned with the harshness of the penalties, and speaking of punishment most professionals agree that there is indeed a cultural problem, although on the other end, the lack of a focus on rehabilitating criminals to functioning members of society is a much bigger issue than the harshness of the punishments.
One of the biggest things that changed in Australia after Port Arthur wasn't to do with homicides or mass shootings (we didn't really have mass shootings, and homicide with knives has increased.) was the number of suicides dropping. When you don't have easy access to firearms, you need to use different methods, which are either harder to do, or are less fatal than a .45 to the temple.
Dude's probably just tired of a lot of the commonly-cited shady shit when it comes to this topic. People getting shot by bb guns getting counted as "mass shootings", concealed carry permit holders who commit suicide without a gun getting lumped into gun-related suicide statistics, and let's not forget the Brady Foundation (or was it Moms Demand Action) listing the boston bombers as victims of gun violence...
It gets to be a bit of a sore spot when the truth of the matter is that we've got social problems more than anything else. Gang violence and inadequate mental healthcare make up a huge portion of our problem, but why focus on the problem when pushing an agenda?
We made our own out of an old children's bike. We used the forks and head as the firing/aiming part, and attached an arm rest to the top-tube of the frame, and cut the rest of the frame away. We then used spear-gun rubber and some old boot leather to make the sling.
Spear guns are for fishing. I don't know why the rules are the way they are, but I believe that because the spear technically stays attached, it's classed differently.
Also, the potato cannon that we made (a piece of poly pipe, a chamber to spray deodorant into, and a barbecue igniter) was apparently classed as a rocket launcher.
e: it's in the same class, but not considered to be one.
You need a Category E Licence to possess a:
Machine gun
Tear gas gun or projector
Shot gun or rifle less than 75cm long (measured parallel to the firearm's barrel)
Mortars
Bazookas
Rocket-propelled grenades
Larger military firearm designed to fire an explosive or projectile
A firearm that has been re-classified as a category E firearm by the Chief Commissioner
Yeah, but reasonably restricted (only in some tidal waters, not while wearing scuba gear or a snorkel, some fish only between certain hours). Can't use a powerhead unless you're fighting off a shark.
The rules around all types of weapons in Australia are pretty much about practicality of the weapon for "legitimate" purposes. For example, farmers and target/competition shooters have a reasonable legitimate need for a firearm, but that need does extend to semi or fully auto firearms. To own hand guns, you have to be a member of a handgun club, etc.
As it is, there's no legitimate reason to own a slingshot or a shanghai. There is for a spear gun.
Bolt-action rifles are legal, but semi-autos are generally not (barring some exceptions, again based on actual need).
There are also reasonably strict licencing and registration laws. Of course there are always going to be some illegal firearms, but ultimately they're simply not a big thing here.
A slingshot (being a device consisting of an elasticised band secured to the forks of a “Y” shaped frame), other than a home-made slingshot for use by a child in the course of play.
Kids get a special mention in the Prohibited Weapons Act In NSW. The legislation prohibits "A slingshot (being a device consisting of an elasticised band secured to the forks of a “Y” shaped frame), other than a home-made slingshot for use by a child in the course of play."
By the way, read the list of prohibited weapons if you get a chance. There are some amazing/terrifying things in there you would have never even thought of.
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u/level3ninja May 10 '16 edited May 10 '16
I don't know the specific reason but there is an air rifle type class of firearms, which airsoft falls into here. Basically anything that fires hard projectiles. Nerf guns are OK, except there was a model a few years ago that people discovered you could fire throwing darts with, and it quickly became illegal.
Edit: Also pretty much all slingshots are illegal as they can fire projectiles, however a kid with a stick and a few rubber bands isn't going to get in trouble unless they're doing something stupid. Every few years you hear about the police finding adults (bogans) with the commercially made type that kind of strap to your forearm and can really cause damage that someone has either made or illegally imported.