BlueberryWheats wrote:GDB wrote:We get it, even the mass slaughter in one incident of young children just made all you the gun nuts not give a crap as no one's lives are important than their cradling their precious guns
It's sickening, isn't it. In an normal person's mind Sandy Hook should have been America's Dunblane moment.
I was in primary school at the time of Dunblane and remember the instant extra security and then all the legislation changes on guns and school staffing. How many school shootings have we had since?
America? Well... they just arm the teachers.
Yes, that truly evil mass killing was the first and likely last ever such event in the UK.
After the 1987 Hungerford massacre, many (including myself) were shocked that, with regular police vetting and checks for safe storage, a man could own a semi auto AK-47 and M1 Carbine. Not needed nor used by farmers, gamekeepers, groundsmen etc.
They were banned, though not the pistol the perp, Micheal Ryan, used to shoot himself when surrounded by armed police in a (thankfully) empty school.
Nine years later, that loophole allowed Dunblane. He had a 9mm Browning, so weapons of that class were banned.
Did not matter what the government thought, nor the very small number of our version of guns rights activists felt, the public demand was clear, not that the then Major government was minded to resist anyway. Since they were as appalled too.
As Kiwirob pointed out, it was another Conservative, right of center government who did the same after Port Arthur.
Even though Australia has some similarities with the US with regards to much bigger rural areas and the people who have a real need for say shotguns or .22 bolt action rifle, not the M14 the Port Arthur killer used.
And the often weapon of choice in mass shootings? The AR-15. Also now the icon of gun nuts, these wack job 'Militias', what a mindset.