Using victims to advance anti-gun agenda’s and knee jerk reforms


Following another US tragedy involving firearms we see the usual suspects unashamedly using the news to push their agendas here in Australia.

If the shoe was on the other foot, our arguments would have been described and heartless and irrelevant at an absolute minimum.

They use overseas victims to advance their anti-gun agendas and push our political leaders to hold media conferences to offer so called “solutions”. Solutions to problems we do not have. Even worse they use these events to raise money.

If anti-gun politicians were really interested in solving problems, instead of using tragedies to push a political agenda, they would work to solve underlying issues.

Anti-gun advocates are directed to immediately hit television, Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets with emotional pleas for more gun control as soon as tragedy strikes. Facts don’t matter; the only thing that matters is to advance their agenda.

This week ABC News Bridget Judd published an article titled “Australia missing ‘crucial conversations’ around tackling gun crime”.

The article took an unbiased look firearm ownership in Australia and the knee-jerk reactions that happen around gun control.

As Australia’s gun debate rages, sports shooters and academics alike are increasingly concerned about ‘knee-jerk’ reactions around reform and say the recent discourse is ignoring one key question.

What do we actually know about those driving the demand for stolen and illegally imported firearms in Australia?

“Gun violence doesn’t occur in a vacuum, [and] it often seems as if there’s a lack of political will here to actually look beneath the surface and tackle the social issues that underpin crime,” said Samara McPhedran, a senior research fellow at Griffith University’s Violence Research and Prevention Program.

Although high-profile attacks, such as the Texas and Las Vegas shootings, have created a political atmosphere for regulatory change, Dr McPhedran argues legislators would be better off investing that energy into addressing the underlying causes of day-to-day crime.

“What we tend to see in Australia in response to these tragedies is an almost very smug type of approach, and unfortunately we often seem to take the attitude of almost finger pointing or victim blaming,” she said.

“Rather than framing our debate around [these incidents], why don’t we look at them and other countries and say, well what are they doing well? What can we learn from them?”

Australian law abiding shooters are sick of the being treated like criminals and its time politicians made policy that is relevant to the country and people that it is aimed at. The more we let them know this at each and every poll and election the more our voices will be heard.

 

 

 


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