America has to learn from Australia when it comes to guns

"Take away the civilian access to automatic military style weapons America, that is the obvious answer."

US President Donald Trump.

WHEN will Americans learn? Eleven killed and six or more injured in a senseless hate-fuelled terrorist style attack at a baby naming service at a US synagogue.

The offender, a middle-aged white man armed with a AR-15 automatic rifle... Why does the US relentlessly insist that its civilians have the right to bear military grade weapons?

After the Port Arthur massacre in April 1996 when Martin Bryant slayed 35 innocent people and injured 23 others (also with a Colt AR-15, L1A1 self loading automatic rifle), Australia said "no more" and made it virtually impossible for civilians to obtain such weapons ever again, and how many mass shootings have we had since 1996? None.

How many US school shootings have there been? How many random attacks at concerts, sporting and gaming venues have there been where an offender has unleashed with a full automatic weapon designed to inflict as much damage as possible with the least amount of effort by the perpetrator in the shortest time possible... President Trump deflected questions about gun control and replied with "armed security guards could have prevented the high number of casualties, this is a case where if they had an armed guard inside, they might have been able to stop him immediately".

Sorry Trump, but an armed guard with his standard issue six shot pistol would have just been killed or injured along with the four police officers that were shot by the AR-15.

Take away the civilian access to automatic military style weapons America, that is the obvious answer.

KEV McKAY, Harristown

Originally published as America has to learn from Australia when it comes to guns