[A. G. Maisey]

Gavin, let me get this on record:- I have actively opposed restrictive arms legislation in NSW since the 1950's.

I have been a hunter and competitive target shooter with both rifle and pistol since I was a child, and I am very familiar with the efforts that have been made by NSW state governments to restrict use and ownership of firearms.Over recent years these governmental efforts have been extended to edged implements, and I have similarly been active in opposing restrictive legislation in respect of knives & etc.

Add to this a 40 year career in government bureaucracies as an internal auditor, and close to 20 years of providing consultancy services to bureaucrats in respect of internal audit and risk management.

Now factor in a few years of sitting on a government committee.

I think I can claim to have an adequate understanding of the way in which government administration functions.

To attain uniformity across the states in any legislation, it would first be necessary for all states to agree to transfer their powers relevant to the matter under consideration, to the Commonwealth. Let us assume that a miracle occurred and the states really did agree to transfer their powers in respect of weapons to the Commonwealth. It would then become the responsibility of the Attorney-General's department to incorporate into Commonwealth law the laws which had previously been the responsibility of the states.

The way in which this would be achieved would be by ensuring that all clauses in existing state legislations were incorporated into the new Commonwealth legislation. No restrictions would be lost, but NSW would gain the restrictions of all other states.

Now, what do you think that would do to Tasmania?

Just to clarify a point, in spite of what Dr. Google may tell you, there is no "Department of Justice" within the Australian Commonwealth system. Matters concerning justice and law are the responsibility of the Attorney-General's Department, which is not known as the "Department of Justice".

At the present time in Australia we have a Labor government as our national government, and all states also have Labor governments.

In US terms, the Labor Party in Australia is essentially a party of democrats . Politically they are aligned with the green movement and in opposition to the domination of capital.I think we are all very well aware of the philosophies of both democrats and greens in respect of the private ownership of weapons. The Australian Labor party holds exactly these same philosophies.

It is all very well to talk about what collectors of weaponry may want, and lets not forget firearms owners, but the cold hard facts are that the tide of population density has made it impossible for any administration to allow the freedoms which earlier ages took for granted. This applies not only in the matter of weaponry, but in other things as well. In order to manage our societies with their ever increasing populations, to keep those societies calm and economically viable, it is necessary to impose restrictions upon the society as a whole that will disadvantage minority groups within the society.

Collectors of edged weapons are most definitely a minority group.

Like it or not, our societies are managed by bureaucrats who for the most part work in accord with the directives of the politicians whom we elected to office.

The only way that you can get a politician to move in either one direction, or another, is to clearly demonstrate political advantage.

If collectors of edged weapons in Australia, or anywhere else for that matter, want to get legislation changed, they need to demonstrate political advantage for the desired change. If political advantage cannot be demonstrated then those collectors need to work within the system to find ways that will give the politicians what they want, without seriously inconveniencing the collectors. To dream that we can get existing legislation softened is indeed a dream. No politician would run the risk of the public relations disaster that would ensue in the event of injury or death being able to be associated with the removal of some restriction or other.

What we have now, we will always have. All we can do is try to influence future legislation, and we can do that by maintaining a very close watch on the review of existing legislation and attempting to ensure that whatever new restrictions may be imposed, they are restrictions that we can live with. This is best achieved on an organisational basis by collector's societies, shooter's societies, and so forth making approaches to the relevant ministers, and by employing lobbiests.On a grassroots level a letter writing campaign can also be effective:- it is very difficult for any politician to ignore a letter, especially when directed through a local member of parliament. Every politician knows that a letter from one person represents ten people who are unhappy.

The ultimate protection for any minority group is to have a dedicated member elected to the Upper House. In NSW , firearms owners and users have achieved this and now have not one, but two senators who are members of The Shooters Party , sitting in the Upper House.

In order for us to achieve the best possible outcomes from any future legislation that could impact upon our interests, it is necessary to stop dreaming of what we might like to have, and face the realities of the political world in which we live. To survive in this political world we need to understand how this world functions, and we need to use the weapons of this world to our own advantage. These weapons are a clear understanding of the legislation that sets the rules, and a clear understanding of how we can influence the people who make the rules.

I strongly recommend a reading of "The Prince", for those of you who have not yet read it. Combined with Sun Tzu it will teach you all you need to know about achieving any objective.

Barry, the only reason that you still have the right to firearms ownership in the USA is because many years ago the NRA realised that in order to protect the rights enshrined in your Constitution they needed to become political. If you had not had NRA political activity do you think that you would still enjoy the right to own firearms?

As for the criminal element, it is a fact that the more dense a population becomes, the more likely it is for criminal activity within that population to increase. It is also a fact that as the gap between the wealthiest in any population, and the poorest in any population gets wider, the criminal activity in that population will increase. What is the population of the USA? What percentage of the national wealth is held by the top two percent of that population? What percentage of wealth is held by the bottom ten percent of the population? Consider the answers to these questions and I think that perhaps you will be able to see the future.