Australia and guns

daddo

News.com
Firearms seizure prompts warning
07jun02

A SEIZURE of more than 50 weapons during a raid on a private residence in Melbourne's east has prompted a police warning for gun owners to register their firearms.

More than 50 items were seized, including semi-automatic weapons, shot guns, pistols, silencers and ammunition in the raid at a house in Seville yesterday.

Two people have been charged with the illegal possession of firearms and will appear in court at a later date.

Police spokesman Senior Constable Rob Pugh today warned gun owners police had begun conducting door knocks searching for unregistered weapons after the end of the gun amnesty in March.

Persons illegally holding firearms can incur fines of up to $24,000 or four years in prison.

"The gun amnesty has finished, there is no more Mr Nice guy," Sen Const Pugh said.

"Police are conducting door knocks around Victoria so people illegally in possession of a gun better do something about it."

More than 2000 weapons were surrendered and police received more than 1,000 registration applications this year before the gun amnesty ended on March 27.

The amnesty followed the introduction of a strict licensing regime in the wake of the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.

AAP

barto

this is the sort of s!!t we are fighting to prevent.
it can happen here all to easily.
barto

the hard stuff we do right away - the impossible takes a little longer

Iconoclast

I have friends in Oz who gave some graphic - and hilarious - details about the original turn-in. For example, there was a WW1 bring-back Maxim which had been welded shut & hung on the wall of a pub. Pub burned, guy pulled the old MG from the debris, made a mount from some scrap metal & used in his den for something. Come the law, he received some absurd amount of cash for turning it in - plus an additional A$800 because it was on a mount! They also paid for old, empty MG belts, fired cases .50 & larger, etc. Some people made a lot of money picking up the fired cases from surplus yards & turning them in. Until the amnesty ended, the military was still sending the stuff to salvage yards and these guys were still picking it up & turning it in for more than loaded rounds sell for here. As Bugs would say . . . "What a bunch of maroons!" Don't know what they are doing, but of course, "It's for the children."

Yes, we have to work hard to prevent such stupidity here. Not to mention the Gestapo-like door-to-door searches.

daddo

Recycling is great!