Gun reform fraudulent against taxpayers, says Doctor
by Barry Hailstone
The Advertiser, Adelaide
13 November 1997
Gun law reform would not reduce the incident of gunshot wounds, emergency medicine specialists were told yesterday.
Most wounds were caused by 22 calibre rifles which were still legal, Dr Christopher Walker told the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine conference at the Adelaide Festival Centre.
A study he made of gunshot wounds at the New South Wales major trauma center at John Hunter Hospital showed that, of 34 patients, (including five deaths), only one had been caused by a military semi-automatic weapon.
Sever facial injuries were caused by hollow nosed bullets which were used in rural areas.
Dr Walker said gun law reform undertaken in 1996 in response to the Port Arthur massacre was a government fraud: "It has been one of the greatest frauds perpetrated against the Australian taxpayer," Dr Walker said.
"The only effect of the 1 per cent levy has been to give gun owners the opportunity to turn in their old guns, receive the money and buy new ones."
Dr Walker, who is an emergency medicine specialist, said Australians had a continuous diet of media violence which was increasing their tolerance to violent behavior.
"This was a reflection of urban society in the US which had economic and racial divisions in society, liberal gun laws and an epedemic of violent gunshot injuries," he said.
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