Re: Investigation reveals 20% increase in stolen guns (in NSW)

And what was the increase in illegally smuggled guns?

================================ Customs must tackle 'failings' on firearms BY: AMOS AIKMAN From: The Australian May 14, 2012 12:00AM

THE Customs and Border Protection Service must urgently address the fundamental weaknesses that allowed illegal weapons to enter Australia undetected before other agencies will share intelligence and co- operate on a national firearms policing strategy.

This comment by NSW Police Minister Mike Gallacher followed warnings by NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione that illegally imported firearms are a national security threat.

Mr Gallacher is set to join federal Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare on a nationwide tour to drum up support for a national ballistics register ahead of a police ministers' conference next month.

Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison, in whose south Sydney electorate of Cook a major illegal weapons importation racket was recently detected, said the Customs and Border Protection Service was failing, and accused the federal government of being in denial.

Mr Scipione told The Australian at the weekend three recent operations involving large quantities of illegally imported firearms could represent the tip of the iceberg, and said a new national approach was urgently needed.

Mr Gallacher welcomed the call for a new approach, but said Customs must first recognise it had a problem and put forward appropriate solutions.

"Otherwise I think you're going to see a reluctance from policing agencies to reveal their intelligence to another agency if they don't believe serious steps are being taken to address the fundamental weakness in the first place," Mr Gallacher said.

Mr Morrison said the Customs service and the federal government did not appear to be taking the problem seriously. "Customs didn't know they were on fire on this issue until the NSW police turned up with a hose," he said.

"What's happening in Queensland? What's happening in Western Australia? What's happening in Victoria? We don't know."

Mr Morrison criticised Mr Clare for failing to launch an inquiry after a NSW police operation revealed 220 new Glock pistols were illegally imported via a post office in his electorate.

Police say weapons from that shipment are implicated in a spate of recent shootings in southwest Sydney. Only two of the guns have been recovered so far.

Mr Clare, whose electorate of Blaxland is in western Sydney, the scene of much of the violence, said data from the Australian Crime Commission showed the majority of illegal guns in circulation were from domestic sources, such as theft, rather than from overseas.

Mr Scipione said there was a crucial knowledge gap on the scale of the illegal imports problem.

"I don't think there's a good enough estimate of how many guns are actually in Australia, how many guns are coming into Australia in the hands of criminals," the Commissioner said.

Responding to figures that showed at least four times as many handguns were detected being illegally imported as were reported stolen last year, Mr Scipione said: "If we've got a problem (with domestic gun theft) then we've got an enormous problem with guns that are circumnavigating our border controls."

A spokesman for the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service declined an invitation to respond to the criticisms raised in this article

Reply to
John-Melb
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And how is the government's failure to properly resource the customs service the fault of licensed firearms owners?

Reply to
John-Melb

I cannot understand why you've posted this here then, you've previously admitted you only post to aus.politics.guns to "annoy the crap" out of me, and my safekeeping requirements exceed the legislation?

Perhaps you're advocating (as does Gun Control Australia) central repositories for privately owned firearms?

Reply to
John-Melb

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Let the general public have them too, give training and give them the ironclad right to self defense, defense of their property and other people, and the problem will disappear as if by magic

Reply to
kreed

Seconded !!

Reply to
Rheilly Phoull

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ut

Thanks for your opinion, how's your "long standing and highly respected" poster doing lately?

I prefer Trevor's fictional friends, including the one who can STOP his heart.

Reply to
John-Melb

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Andrew Arulanandam, policy director for the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action, which supports these legislative efforts, argues that crime rates are low in four states =97 Alaska, Arizona, Vermont and Wyoming =97 that already allow residents to carry without a permit. "Our viewpoint is, a good person will always be a good person," he said. "They don't need a license to be a good person."

Reply to
kreed

Why are you cross posting this to aus.electronics?

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?? 100% natural

--- Posted via news://freenews.netfront.net/ - Complaints to news@netfront.net
Reply to
Jasen Betts

Because there's people posting on aus.electronics who don't believe concepts such as freedom of speech should apply to people like me.

Reply to
John-Melb

You're really a advocate of the Trevor Tosspot school of discussion and debate, all we need now is you to start chanting "Non-sequitur" to anything you don't agree with and you're there. There really is little to learn from you "long standing and highly respected" poster.

I'm glad you're still enjoying "annoying the crap" out of me, I find persistent idiots very entertaining.

Reply to
John-Melb

No, your problem is very definitely with the message, you'll remember that you and a number of others had no issue with your "long standing and highly respected" poster, posting his anti-gun and anti-gun owner tirades on aus.electronics, but got very upset when any alternative viewpoint appeared.

Good to hear.

Reply to
John-Melb

o
e

th

"Imagined slight", your memory of those circumstances appears to differ from others. John wasn't the only one pissed off about it remember.

Reply to
Tom

Diagnosing again I see.

Why should I "move on"?

Aus.electronics had no issue with Trevor Tosspot posting his anti-gun and anti-gunowner diatribes, when alternative viewpoint appeared they got very upset.

What they we're saying was your "long standing and highly respected" poster was fine to post his diatribes, but I'm not allowed to give my side of the debate.

What they were saying was my rights were less than his, he had rights I did not. Concepts such as "freedom of speech" simply did not apply to me because I owned guns.

Considering the vilification gun owners in this country have been subject to since 1996, I'm not prepared to accept that.

You don't like my attitude? Bad luck.

Reply to
John-Melb

Sorry, continued.

Tell me Keith, at what stage do you want me to accept or ignore discrimination (because that's what it is)?

There is a very fine line between saying "you're not allowed to post here because you're a gun owner" and saying "you're not allowed to post here because you're black, or gay, or muslim, or jewish or vote Liberal".

Where is the line to be drawn when facing discrimination of matters such as freedom of speech?

Reply to
John-Melb

Except, that's not what happened, was it?

Reply to
John-Melb

"impotent phallic symbol fondler" well that's a new one.

Tell me, why did you not have a problem when Trevor Tosspot was posting his anti-gun bile on aus.electronics?

Reply to
John-Melb

I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Reply to
John-Melb

ut

Really, where? I must have missed it, give me a cite or post it again.

Reply to
John-Melb

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