Gun Control and the Darwin Shooting By John Steele

     Just to jump the gun before the anti-gunners start rattling off about the need for tighter gun control following from the tragic NT shooting, the nutter who was on parole and even had a monitoring device on his leg, was in no position to have any firearm under the law, let alone a banned pump action shotgun:

“Witnesses described the shooter using a pump action shotgun to fire multiple blasts at the Palms Hotel and Buffalo Club. A victim was killed at each. Kershaw confirmed that the suspect was armed with a shotgun, but could not confirm what type. Pump action shotguns have been virtually banned from private ownership in Australia along with other rapid-fire weapons under the country's tough gun laws designed to prevent mass shootings.”

  https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/dead-shooting-australian-city-darwin-63472167

     Wow, there was even a glimmer of cognitive dissonance in the ABC item quoted above. The general law-abiding public had their guns ripped away from them by little Johnny Howard precisely to prevent this, which it has not done. So, the burden goes back to the gun banners now: what are the real agendas behind your program? Anyway, here is some thinking outside the square on this issue:
  https://www.wpxi.com/news/trending-now/baltimore-mayor-says-public-boxing-matches-may-solve-street-violence/954775118

“Baltimore’s mayor believes he has a solution to solving some of the violence in the city: Public boxing matches. After eight shootings and 11 stabbing incidents in the city over the weekend, Mayor Jack Young said he is trying to find ways to ease tensions in the city. "If they want to really settle them, we can have them down at the civic center, put a boxing ring up and let them go and box it out,” Young told WBAL. “Those kinds of things, you know, and the best man wins and the beef should be over. Those are some of the things I'm thinking about.” Young and City States Attorney Marilyn Mosby attended a recent National Gun Violence Awareness Day event and left with several ideas.  "Gun violence has been plaguing this city for the last 10 years. The murder rate in this city and non-fatal shootings have increased,” Young told WBAL. “I'm not happy with it and neither should the citizens of Baltimore," Young said. "Frederick Douglas said it best. It's easier to build strong children than it is to repair broken men, and so we have to focus on our babies before it's too late," Mosby told the television station.”

     It is worth considering, and may reduce some violence, but not the sort where madmen go on killing sprees.