Weapons Legislation Sanity---NSW Australia

A. G. Maisey · 7th August 2008, 06:52 AM

Yes Jim, I was responsible for alerting a few people to this matter, but there were many, many more people involved in submissions than I would have alerted.

The published address of the Ministry for Police is:-

Postal Address:
PO BOX A66, SYDNEY SOUTH NSW 1235

kahnjar1 · 7th August 2008, 07:37 AM

Hi Alan and thanks for posting this information. Hopefully other Australian States will look at this sensible approach and follow suit?
As has been previously stated here, the New Zealand approach to arms control in general has been sensible all along, but not however without vigorous lobbying from interested groups.
WELL DONE NSW LEADING THE WAY, AND WELL DONE BY ALL THOSE INVOLVED!

Regards Stuart

Royston · 7th August 2008, 08:00 AM

Alan

Congratulations.

Er, Any chance of you coming over to the UK to sort our lot out ?

As you are probably aware, common sense has now been re-defined as " Rare Sense" over here.

Regards
Royston

A. G. Maisey · 7th August 2008, 09:01 AM

Royston, just to clarify:- this was not a matter of me sorting anybody out.

My only involvement was to alert a small number of people to the fact that a review was to take place, and that our Minister for Police was very concerned about the seeming frequency of the use of swords in crimes.

I myself lodged a lengthy and comprehensive argument against the advisability of scheduling swords, and I am aware that many other individuals and organisations did likewise.

The people who conducted the review of the legislation were thoroughly professional public servants, who called upon statistical evidence, professional opinion, and analysis to gain a balanced picture of exactly what the situation was in respect of sword use in crime, and the position of the sword in the community.

When everything was out on the table, they found that the situation was not nearly so dire as the Minister had been led to believe, probably by flamboyant media reports.

The matter was handled coolly and logically, and the end result was a triumph for dispassionate professionalism.

However, the point should be made, that if the large number of people who lodged arguments against the scheduling of swords had not done so, or had adopted the tactic of abuse, rather than reasoned argument, the result of the review may have been very different.

Those whom we elect to office, and the people who work for them, need to be made aware that some of us care very deeply about some issues.

Mark · 7th August 2008, 03:00 PM

This is very reassuring. Congratulations to everyone involved. It is too often that a very vocal minority sets the political agenda on some extreme or downright silly course. It is nice to see a vocal minority set it straight for a change (minority of citizens, that is, not a minority of sword owners - there may not be many of us, but we are generably reasonable people).

David · 7th August 2008, 07:50 PM

It's reassuring to hear that our actions actually did yield some result here. Good to know that the authorities are sometimes open to listening to common sense.

Rick · 8th August 2008, 12:34 AM

Let's count the chickens after they've hatched , eh ?

7th August 2008, 07:37 AM	#2
kahnjar1 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: CHRISTCHURCH NEW ZEALAND Posts: 2,786	Great News!! Hi Alan and thanks for posting this information. Hopefully other Australian States will look at this sensible approach and follow suit? As has been previously stated here, the New Zealand approach to arms control in general has been sensible all along, but not however without vigorous lobbying from interested groups. WELL DONE NSW LEADING THE WAY, AND WELL DONE BY ALL THOSE INVOLVED! Regards Stuart

7th August 2008, 08:00 AM	#3
Royston Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Poole England Posts: 443	Well Done Alan Congratulations. Er, Any chance of you coming over to the UK to sort our lot out ? As you are probably aware, common sense has now been re-defined as " Rare Sense" over here. Regards Royston

7th August 2008, 06:52 AM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,992	Yes Jim, I was responsible for alerting a few people to this matter, but there were many, many more people involved in submissions than I would have alerted. The published address of the Ministry for Police is:- Postal Address: PO BOX A66, SYDNEY SOUTH NSW 1235

7th August 2008, 09:01 AM	#4
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,992	Royston, just to clarify:- this was not a matter of me sorting anybody out. My only involvement was to alert a small number of people to the fact that a review was to take place, and that our Minister for Police was very concerned about the seeming frequency of the use of swords in crimes. I myself lodged a lengthy and comprehensive argument against the advisability of scheduling swords, and I am aware that many other individuals and organisations did likewise. The people who conducted the review of the legislation were thoroughly professional public servants, who called upon statistical evidence, professional opinion, and analysis to gain a balanced picture of exactly what the situation was in respect of sword use in crime, and the position of the sword in the community. When everything was out on the table, they found that the situation was not nearly so dire as the Minister had been led to believe, probably by flamboyant media reports. The matter was handled coolly and logically, and the end result was a triumph for dispassionate professionalism. However, the point should be made, that if the large number of people who lodged arguments against the scheduling of swords had not done so, or had adopted the tactic of abuse, rather than reasoned argument, the result of the review may have been very different. Those whom we elect to office, and the people who work for them, need to be made aware that some of us care very deeply about some issues.

7th August 2008, 03:00 PM	#5
Mark Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 987	This is very reassuring. Congratulations to everyone involved. It is too often that a very vocal minority sets the political agenda on some extreme or downright silly course. It is nice to see a vocal minority set it straight for a change (minority of citizens, that is, not a minority of sword owners - there may not be many of us, but we are generably reasonable people).

7th August 2008, 07:50 PM	#6
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,211	It's reassuring to hear that our actions actually did yield some result here. Good to know that the authorities are sometimes open to listening to common sense.

8th August 2008, 12:34 AM	#7
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,336	Let's count the chickens after they've hatched , eh ?