I wonder the percentage of the Australian population that:
1) Carries a handgun every day?
2) Has a gun (of whatever type) in their car while driving around every day, even if not on their person?
Please note I am not asking about people who have gun(s) at home, and just take them out to go hunting or to the range for a little target practice.
Do any of our Aussie friends know? Even roughly?
Thanks
Hi Blu-Cs, in answer to your questions.
1. The only people who carry a handgun all day are those in a profession.. Police, security etc and a very small % of workers in rural areas(some farmers can get a permit, maybe some remote area animal control officers etc). They can only carry whilst on the job. Even police in Australia are not generally approved to carry a handgun outside of work hours- their gun are locked at their stations when off duty, they dont take them home.
2. General carry of a long arm in a vehicle is only allowed if the person has a planned purpose- aka on the way to a hunt, to the rifle range, to a buddies property to shoot cans etc. You cant generally just ""put a gun in your car and leave it there permanently" is what I am saying. At the end of the purpose you have to lock it up in your safe or dwelling until next time.
Farmers or landowners or remote workers have more leeway eg they may have guns in the truck, ATV or boat for r remote work or opportunistic use. Technically all guns need to be locked up in a safe when not in use or at the end of a days use and they have to use all possible means to duplicate it( whether lock it in the cab etc)
So in a nutshell, almost no handgun for general carry.
And no long guns for general vehicle carry.
I dont agree with any of these laws, I see them as completely unecessary. The handgun laws in Australia came in about the same time the US gun control acts in the 30's came in( I think). I cant remember if it was anti-crime push like yours were(after al capone shot up too many fellas with short barrelled machine guns) or it might even have been anti-communist( some bizarre link between the communist party and handguns here)
The long guns in vehicles laws came in with the 1996 gun bans. Prior to that in most states you could leave your long guns pretty much anywhere you wanted.. Most fellas didnt have safes- rifles were left in sheds, barns, vehicles, closets or under your bed. You could drive around with one in a window rack of your ute( pickup) all day every day. Life went on, no one cared.
Much better days.
