On 28 April 1996 a mentally disturbed man slew 35 people in cold blood, and left 23 more wounded. The killer, Martin Bryant, showed no mercy.
Port Arthur is a historic prison colony tourist site in the state of Tasmania, Australia. That day Martin Bryant first murdered a couple in a nearby bed and breakfast hotel before heading to Port Arther and slaughtering 12 people eating lunch at a cafe, 8 people in a gift shop adjacent to the cafe, 4 people in the car park outside the cafe, 7 people on the way up a toll booth at the entrance to the site, a lady at a nearby service station, and her boyfriend at a nearby house whom Bryant had taken hostage.
The tragedy which became known as the Port Arthur Massacre was one of the worst shootings to occur in Australian history.
In a previous diary (my first) my signature contained a line from the top of a Nazi death camp. Without a proper explanation of what it meant a number of people took offense. For this I am deeply sorry and apologise. I have replaced it with a signature that I believe is easier to understand my point. On the recommendation of another poster I am reposting this diary to remove the inapproriate signature from the top of the page. The sig was intended is intended as an ironic descriptor of what modern day life has become - ie corporations and those on their politicsl payroll have broken the back of organised labour movement so well that people are now essentially stuck in a concentration camp of work. The sig line was of course the sign at the top of the death camp Auschwitz, the ultimate insult to tens of thousands of people murdered there. Just as the Nazis sold the lie that all the people had to do work to free themselves so to do corporations now sell the lie that we need to work to free ourselves. The poorer a person is the harder and longer they have to work. Then the corporate owned right wing parties turn arpund and tell us rich people are rich because they work harder than the rest of us. That's the great lie.
Rest of the diary below the fold. Sorry to everyone who made a comment in the previous diary already.
Bryant then got back into his car and proceeded to leave the car park. Witnesses say he was sounding the horn and waving, others say he was also firing. Bryant drove along Jetty Road towards the toll booth where a number of people were running away. Bryant passed by at least two people. Ahead of him were Nanette Mikac (née Moulton) and her two young children, Madeline, 3, and Alannah, 6 years old. Nanette was carrying Madeline and Alannah was running slightly ahead. By now they had run approximately 600 metres from the car park. Bryant opened his door and slowed down. Mikac moved towards the car, apparently thinking he was offering them help in escaping. Several more people witnessed this from further down the road. Someone then recognised him as the gunman and yelled out "It's him!". Bryant stepped out of the car, put his hand on Nanette Mikac's shoulder and told her to get on her knees. She did so, saying, "Please don't hurt my babies".
Bryant shot her in the temple, killing her, before firing a shot at Madeline, which hit her in the shoulder, before shooting her fatally through the chest. Bryant shot twice at Alannah, as she ran behind the tree, missing. He then walked up, pressed the barrel of the gun into her neck and fired, killing her instantly.
Martin Bryant used an AR-15 assault rifle to kill 12 people within 15 seconds. Some of the victims did not even know there was a gunman before they died. Others had no time other than to stand up and receive a bullet to the brain, or to try and duck under their tables and hope the bullets wouldn't kill them.
James Holmes used a Smith and Wesson M&P15, a variant of the AR-15. Many of the victims did not even know he was a gunman before they were killed.
The Australian people were shocked and appalled, and the Australian Government - unworried by the political strength of the National Rifle Association - acted strongly. In fact it was actually the conservative Government at the time that introduced the new laws. They were even successful in undermining the local pro-gun lobby by leaking to the media that these local organisations were receiving financial assistance from the NRA!
Self-loading and semi-automatic handguns and rifles were banned. Self-loading, semi-automatic and pump-action shotguns were banned or prohibited. Every weapon used by Holmes in his killing spree are currently banned in Australia.
Just try taking this shopping list of weapons used by the Aurora killer to a local Bega sports or firearms shop and see how far you get: Remington 870 12-guage pump action shotgun, AR-15 assault rifle, and a Glock .40 calibre handgun.
In New South Wales they are prohibited weapons.
Even the bullet proof vest and leggings worn by the gunman are scheduled as prohibited weapons in NSW.
In Colorado however these are all available from numerous gun shops, with the kind of assault rifle used in the Aurora massacre currently on special in one Denver area gun shop web site for only $999.99, apparently one of the shops used by the Colorado gunman.
Under direction from the Australian Federal Government each state government introduced an amnesty and gun
buy-back scheme. Owners of now illegal guns were able to turn their firearm in and receive market value compensation. Approximately 640,000 guns were taken out of circulation and destroyed. This reduced the stock of firearms in Australia by approximately
one fifth.
In the United States, this would be roughly the equivalent of 40 million weapons.
Strict new licencing criteria were introduced for the ownership of firearms. The only firearms that are available for general use are air rifles, rimfire rifles, single and double barrel shotguns, muzzle-loading firearms, single shot double barrel and repeating centrefire rifles, and break-action shotgun/rifle combinations. Every other firearm is either fully restricted, or prohibited to only those who can demonstrate a genuine occupational or official need.
Each reason requires rigorous proof, checking, and a 28 day approval process, and before applying you need complete approved firearms safety training.
You cannot get a licence if:
You are subject to an Apprehended Violence Order or for 10 years after the expiry of an AVO
You are on a good behaviour bond for a prescribed offence
You are subject to a firearms or weapons prohibition order
You have been convicted within the last 10 years for an offense prescribed by the regulations
If you succeed in getting a firearms permit then you will need to get a Permit to Acquire (PTA) a firearm.
All firearms transactions, both purchase and disposal, must be witnessed by a licensed NSW Firearms Dealer.
The dealer will send the completed paperwork to the NSW Firearms Registry.
And you can only get a firearm in the same category for which you have a firearm licence.
Most importantly of all - it
worked. Prohibition of military style weapons, a massive buy-back for those weapons that had been made illegal, very strict licence and issuing conditions. This led to a decrease in firearm suicides in Australia from 2.2 people per 100,000 in 1995, to 0.8 people per 100,000 in 2006. Firearm homicides dropped from 0.37 per 100,000 people in 1995 to 0.15 per 100,000 people in 2006. These are drops of 65% and 59% respectively.
There were some 13 mass shootings in Australia between 1979 and 1996. Since 1997 there have been none. In Australia the public and government acted swiftly to make sure something similar could never happen again. In America Louie Gohmert wonders why more people didn't bring a gun to the cinema.
Veronica Moser-Sullivan was six years old when a bullet from a military grade weapon ended her life. The same age as little Alannah Mikac. Alannah's mother was killed. Veronica's mother lies injured and paralysed on a hospital bed grieving for her daughter.
There should be no doubt about the need for a gun control law for Veronica's sake. Otherwise this will happen again.