Australia and Gun Laws

My own view on gun laws is for tighter regulations on who own guns and ramped up restrictions on what kinds of guns can be owned. But I believe in the church, and by that I mean the church needs to embody a kingdom ethic when it comes to guns. Christians ought to be different. But Christians are citizens so citizen conversations are worthy of careful attention. Australia is not the USA, but we can learn from Australia’s decision to change its laws to protect its citizens. Here is an outline of the Australian situation; you can go to this site to read the full explanations.

1. It came out of tragedy.
2. It moved public opinion.
3. A conservative politician took the lead.
4. It targeted the kinds of guns used in massacres.
5. It encouraged people to turn in guns.
6. It wasn’t free.  
7. But it was paid for.
8. It wasn’t voluntary.
9. It resulted in a lot of guns.
10. That would be even more in the US.
11. Gun homicide rates fell.
12. Mass shootings stopped.
13. Gun suicides declined.
14. Some estimate that the buyback has prevented 200 deaths a year.
15. It probably won’t work in the US.