But.....I thought they banned and confiscated guns in Australia.....did these bikie gangs ( For us Americans, that would be Biker Gangs) get the message?
Police form special bikie strike force as Nomads, Finks violence escalates in the Hunter
Bikie violence escalates in Hunter region with sixth drive-by shooting between Finks, Nomads
A spate of bikie-related drive-by shootings in the New South Wales Hunter region has triggered the formation of a new strike force to tackle gang-related violence.
A large number of gunshots were fired into a house and car in Chisholm, near the town of Maitland about 1:00am on Thursday.
Detective Superintendent Wayne Humphries said there have been six public shooting incidents and two Molotov cocktail attacks in the region since January.
Rates of gun homicide in Australia since many semi's were outlawed:
- “In the seven years before the NFA, the average annual firearm homicide rate per 100,000 was .43 (range .27 to .60) while for the seven years post NFA, the average annual firearm homicide rate was .25 (range .16 to .33).”
- “[T]he drop in firearm deaths was largest among the type of firearms most affected by the buyback.”
Gun Control in Australia, Updated - FactCheck.org
And you guys get stuck in time........time moves on....and criminals need guns...and they get them, even on island nations that ban and confiscate them...
Australia today...more gun crime, not less..
Gun city: Young, dumb and armed
The notion that a military-grade weapon could be in the hands of local criminals is shocking, but police have already seized at least five machine guns and assault rifles in the past 18 months. The AK-47 was not among them.
Only a fortnight ago, law enforcement authorities announced they were hunting another seven assault rifles recently smuggled into the country. Weapons from the shipment have been used in armed robberies and drive-by shootings.
These are just a handful of the thousands of illicit guns fuelling a wave of violent crime in the world’s most liveable city.
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Despite Australia’s strict gun control regime, criminals are now better armed than at any time since then-Prime Minister John Howard introduced a nationwide firearm buyback scheme in response to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
Shootings have become almost a weekly occurrence, with more than 125 people, mostly young men, wounded in the past five year
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While the body count was higher during Melbourne’s ‘Underbelly War’ (1999-2005), more people have been seriously maimed in the recent spate of shootings and reprisals.
Crimes associated with firearm possession have also more than doubled, driven by the easy availability of handguns, semi-automatic rifles, shotguns and, increasingly, machine guns, that are smuggled into the country or stolen from licensed owners.
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These weapons have been used in dozens of recent drive-by shootings of homes and businesses, as well as targeted and random attacks in parks, shopping centres and roads.
“They’re young, dumb and armed,” said one former underworld associate, who survived a shooting attempt in the western suburbs several years ago.
“It used to be that if you were involved in something bad you might have to worry about [being shot]. Now people get shot over nothing - unprovoked.”
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Gun crime soars
In this series, Fairfax Media looks at Melbourne’s gun problem and the new breed of criminals behind the escalating violence.
The investigation has found:
- There have been at least 99 shootings in the past 20 months - more than one incident a week since January 2015
- Known criminals were caught with firearms 755 times last year, compared to 143 times in 2011
- The epicentre of the problem is a triangle between Coolaroo, Campbellfield and Glenroy in the north-west, with Cranbourne, Narre Warren and Dandenong in the south-east close behind
- Criminals are using gunshot wounds to the arms and legs as warnings to pay debts
- Assault rifles and handguns are being smuggled into Australia via shipments of electronics and metal parts
In response to the violence, it can be revealed the state government is planning to introduce new criminal offences for drive-by shootings, manufacturing of firearms with new technologies such as 3D printers, and more police powers to keep weapons out of the hands of known criminals.
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The second part of the series....
Gun city: Gunslingers of the North West
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'Thousands' of illegal guns tipped to be handed over in firearms amnesty
Asked roughly how many he expected to be handed in, Mr Keenan said: "Look I certainly think the number will be in the thousands."
The Australian Crime Commission estimated in 2012 there were at least 250,000 illegal guns in Australia. But a Senate report noted last year it was impossible to estimate how many illicit weapons are out there.
But....military weapons?
And despite Australia's strict border controls, the smuggling of high-powered military-style firearms is also a growing problem.
........c'mon now!
