Bob, at 19:45 on May 15 1996, you wrote to Bill Grimsley...

RS> He's fucked that up completely. They will ban pump action
RS> shotguns as well, and 'military style' rifles, which includes
RS> stuff like 303s too.

BG> Yeah, so I heard last night. I'm speechless.

BL> They're banning pump-action shotguns (which is what I meant by
BL> non-auto shotguns), but not repeating rifles like a 303 or sporting
BL> rifles. Where did you hear that?

I didn't hear anything about b/a military rifles, but was actually
commenting on the ridiculous banning of pump shotguns.  They've gone too
far this time.

RS> It doesnt affect those at all. Its not too clear what happens
RS> about the military rifle stuff tho. Some even includes the
RS> modern military stuff like Steyrs too.

BG> Those are self-loading too, and are therefore illegal now as well.

BL> This ban only applies to civilians, not the Army! ROFL!

By the same token, army people don't bring their guns home with them.

BL> I don't know any military rifles that aren't t self-loading. Do you? 

Not any more.  The navy pissed off its .303s in 1965, and the army might
have even been earlier than that.  We used to carry a 'scoped b/a sniper
rifle on board, but that was just a special one-off thing.

BL> The ban does not include 303s and old Mausers, or that lovely drop-block
BL> Cadet rifle of 1896.... or the smooth-bore Brown Bess of 1760.

And neither it should.  In fact, that $500m would be put to much better use
hunting down and disarming violent crims, not persecuting honest citizens.
Christ almighty, if the wankers in Canberra pulled their fingers out and
did that instead, I'd actually welcome a 0.2% increase in the medicare
levy, even if it was permanent.  It'd be cheap insurance at twice the
price.

Regards, Bill

--- Msgedsq/2 3.20