Australian Gun Law Update

[WyomingSunrise]

Not sure if you all have seen this, but thought it was interesting. I hope you have a great day!

Subject: FW: Australian Gun Law Update


From: Ed Chenel, A police officer in Australia

Hi Yanks, I thought you all would like to see the now available
data from Down Under.


It has now been one year (12 months) since gun owners in Australia
were forced by a new law to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be
destroyed by our own government, a program costing Australia taxpayers more
than $500 million dollars.
The first year results are now available: Australia-wide,
homicides are up 6.2 percent; Australia-wide, assaults are up 9.6 percent;
Australia-wide, armed robberies are up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent); in
the state of Victoria alone, homicides with firearms are now up 300 percent
as compared with the last one year period when private ownership of a
firearm was legal. (NB: the law-abiding citizens did turn in their personal
firearms, the criminal element did not and thus criminals in Australia
still possess their guns.)

While data for the 25 years preceding the confiscation of
privately owned guns showed a steady decrease in armed robbery with
firearms, this has changed drastically upward in the past 12 months as
criminals now are assured their victims will be unarmed.

There has also been a dramatic increase in break-ins and
assaults of the elderly, while the resident is at home.
Australian politicians are at a loss to explain how public safety
has decreased, after such monumental effort and expense was expended in
'successfully ridding Australian society of guns.' This story of well
intentioned government intervention in the rights of lawful individuals to
own and possess firearms won't be seen in the mainstream US media or on the
American evening news.

Senator Obama who advocates a similar confiscation in the US will
not be reporting any of this to you. But, the Australian experience speaks
for itself. Guns in the hands of honest citizens save lives and property
and, yes, gun-control laws affect only the law-abiding citizens Americans
may want to take note before it's too late!
FORWARD TO EVERYONE ON YOUR EMAIL LIST.
DON'T BE A MEMBER OF THE SILENT MAJORITY.
BE A PARTICIPANT IN THE VOCAL MINORITY WHO DOESN'T WANT TO SEE WHAT
HAPPENED IN AUSTRALIA HAPPEN IN THE US !

[Rhino]

Of course I'm very pro 2nd amendment, however in the interest of fairness I should post the Snopes.com response.