Yankee
Member
Now I know that residents of Maryland bitch about their tough gun laws compared to other states but spare a thought for those of us stuck in Australia. To Australians like me, Maryland (or even New York or California for that matter) look like heaven for gun owners. Let me give you an idea of what we face. Anybody wanting to use or own a firearm must be licensed by the State Police - no exceptions. Getting an initial licence costs $150 and must be renewed ever year for another $65. To get the licence, you must undergo a full Police background check, wait 4 weeks for the application to be approved and then attend at a mandatory practical training course. The course costs another $150 and there are no exceptions made for anybody which means that former military and law enforcement must spend three agonising days sitting through Power Point slides explaining what a gun is and how not to shoot yourself with one. Assuming you pass this rigorous course
you will then be sent a letter telling you to attend a police station to have your photograph taken and to pay the fee. Your photographic licence will then be mailed to you about two weeks later.
OK, you've got your licence and your now ready to go shooting - WRONG. You now have to apply for a permit to purchase a gun. Fill out the form explaining what category of gun you want, where you plan to buy it from, what you intend to use it for, where and how will it be stored, pay another $50 and wait two more weeks. Alright, you've got your letter from the Police giving you permission to buy a particular weapon, you've paid the licensed gun dealer the money and you're ready to go shooting - WRONG. You now have to register the gun with the police. Pay more money, wait more time and finally you are allowed to legally use your firearm.
This process applies to every single category of guns including BB Guns. Semi-auto centrefire weapons and hand-guns are completely illegal and are only available to the military, law-enforcement and certain members of the public under extremely limited conditions. The same laws apply to the purchase of ammunition and you can only buy ammunition for the type of licence you have ie if you have a class B licence which allows you to use shotguns and bolt-action centrefires, you cannot purchase class A ammunition such as air rifle pellets or .22 rimfire. You must present your photographic licence for any purchase of ammunition including components such as cases and projectiles. Conceal and carry is completely illegal in Australia. To top it all off, the taxes and importation duties we pay on guns and ammunition makes it so expensive that even if you can be bothered dealing with all of the bureaucracy, you can't afford the sport once you finally get a licence.
Prior to the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, Australia's gun laws were even more liberal that most American states. In 1994 I was able to walk into a police station, show my drivers licence and walk out with a paper gun licence. With nothing more than that piece of paper, I was able to go to a gun show in Brisbane, buy an M1 Carbine from a private individual and neither he or I were required to record the details of the transaction or inform the police of the sale. We went from that level of freedom to near complete disarmament of the public in a matter of months (well not complete disarmament
). I don't have to tell anyone on this forum about the wisdom of the founding fathers but hopefully the experience of Australians will give you a better understanding of just how precious the 2nd Amendment is.
you will then be sent a letter telling you to attend a police station to have your photograph taken and to pay the fee. Your photographic licence will then be mailed to you about two weeks later. OK, you've got your licence and your now ready to go shooting - WRONG. You now have to apply for a permit to purchase a gun. Fill out the form explaining what category of gun you want, where you plan to buy it from, what you intend to use it for, where and how will it be stored, pay another $50 and wait two more weeks. Alright, you've got your letter from the Police giving you permission to buy a particular weapon, you've paid the licensed gun dealer the money and you're ready to go shooting - WRONG. You now have to register the gun with the police. Pay more money, wait more time and finally you are allowed to legally use your firearm.
This process applies to every single category of guns including BB Guns. Semi-auto centrefire weapons and hand-guns are completely illegal and are only available to the military, law-enforcement and certain members of the public under extremely limited conditions. The same laws apply to the purchase of ammunition and you can only buy ammunition for the type of licence you have ie if you have a class B licence which allows you to use shotguns and bolt-action centrefires, you cannot purchase class A ammunition such as air rifle pellets or .22 rimfire. You must present your photographic licence for any purchase of ammunition including components such as cases and projectiles. Conceal and carry is completely illegal in Australia. To top it all off, the taxes and importation duties we pay on guns and ammunition makes it so expensive that even if you can be bothered dealing with all of the bureaucracy, you can't afford the sport once you finally get a licence.
Prior to the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, Australia's gun laws were even more liberal that most American states. In 1994 I was able to walk into a police station, show my drivers licence and walk out with a paper gun licence. With nothing more than that piece of paper, I was able to go to a gun show in Brisbane, buy an M1 Carbine from a private individual and neither he or I were required to record the details of the transaction or inform the police of the sale. We went from that level of freedom to near complete disarmament of the public in a matter of months (well not complete disarmament
). I don't have to tell anyone on this forum about the wisdom of the founding fathers but hopefully the experience of Australians will give you a better understanding of just how precious the 2nd Amendment is.
