PM Howard and "bite the bullet" comment
Sunday Telegraph
21 July 1996
Australia is on the verge of having a new set of tougher gun laws which will make our country safer for everyone.
I know that most Australians are in favour of the new laws, and I am determined to do all I can do to ensure that large numbers of weapons of mass destruction will be taken out of circulation.
Tomorrow, in various State capitals, governments will take their final decisions. Then the gun-reduction process will begin immediately.
I am extremely grateful that the passion Australians feel for tough uniform gun laws has been reflected by political leaders at a State and federal level.
The States have been magnificent in their efforts to achieve better gun laws. Their contribution to making our country safer has been - and I'm sure will continue to be - massive.
I also appreciate the support from Kim Beazley and Cheryl Kernot.
We have made a lot of progress, but the task has not been easy.
Australia is a federation, which means the States and territories have the power to write their own gun laws.
While all governments have agreed on about 90 per cent of the new laws we need a final decision on the issue of "crimping".
Crimping is a process that reduces the magazine capacity of certain guns. Its proponents argued that some banned weapons could have their magazines modified to meet the criteria of the new laws.
Various forms of crimping have been examined by experts, including the army, and some methods have been shown to be only temporary.
In other words, it may be possible to convert a gun back to its original destructive firepower.
For that reason a majority of States, as well as the Commonwealth, believe it falls outside the spirit and letter of the agreement signed by all the country's police ministers in early May.
While a referendum has always been an option to resolve this issue, it is also a last resort.
A referendum would be costly and would stall the introduction of the new laws, when I believe most Australians want tighter gun control enshrined in in legislation as soon as possible.
The gun debate has aroused a lot of passion in a lot of Australians. Many law-abiding people will be inconvenienced by the new laws and feel the decision is unfair.
But the laws have been framed in a way which will ensure that those with a genuine need for firearms, such as many farmers, will be able to have access to them.
I recognize these people's frustrations; I have never labelled such people as members of fringe extremist groups. But there is no doubt some extremists are trying to manipulate the debate.
It is time to bite the bullet and take a stand so Australia does not go done the path of the US with its gun culture.
Fewer guns mean a safer Australia. It is an opportunity we cannot afford to squander.
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