After I posted the article about gun control the Australian way, I had a quick chat with a friend of mine who is a big gun proponent.
I said that I could understand why somebody would want a rifle or a shotgun for hunting purposes, and why you might want a hand gun for protection. But then I asked why anybody would need an assault rifle like the Bushman that was used in several recent shootings, and is now flying off the shelves like a new product from Apple. The answer surprised me. “Nobody really needs them, but they are a lot of fun to shoot.”
If that is the case, then I don’t see why you cannot have them in special ranges and you can only shoot them there. If you want to own one (rather than rent one) then you would need to lock it at the premise or have special containers for transport and storage. Kind of like how somebody who likes to drive really fast will do that on a race track, and not in normal traffic.
It is a complex and thorny issue, but I think we need to get to a point where people cannot get their hands on the most destructive weapons, and people who are not mentally sound should not have access to guns legally.
