Guns
For the past week, I haven't been able to get this song out of my head. It's short, so it's easy to play a second time, which means it'll likely play a third; yet somehow I still want to hear it. The thrum of the music and the bite of the lyrics are not only synergistic and catchy, they are SPOT ON. I felt the same way when I first heard Coldplay's Guns that I did when I first read Jonathon Swift's Modest Proposal. Even the most obvious and entertaining presentation of the truth won't change people's minds; but it can instigate and perpetuate the discussion until it leads to action.
From 1998 to 2002, my husband and I lived and worked in Melbourne, Australia. In 2002, my first child was born there. We love Australia, and it was truly a difficult decision to move back to America. When we returned to Melbourne with our kids years later, I couldn't help but see the problems in my country compared to the one we left, most notably in relation to guns.
In April 1996, a 28-year-old Australian shot and killed 35 people and wounded 21 others at Port Arthur, a popular tourist spot. Later that year, the Australasian Police Ministers' Council (APMC) created the National Firearms Agreement (NFA), by which all Australian states and territories either banned or severely restricted legal ownership of 60% of existing firearms and severely tightened controls on their use. The Agreement established a temporary firearm buyback program, by which the government purchased over 650,000 now-illegal firearms, increasing the country's taxes to raise the $230 million required. The law also imposed a 28-day waiting period for firearm sales; required registration of all firearms and licensing of all gun owners; and required every gun owner to be at least 18 years of age, have secure (and locked) storage for their firearms, and provide a "genuine reason" for why they require a gun. Police can inspect the storage facility before issuing a license and make random checks to ensure compliance. (The Sporting Shooters Association of Australia endorsed this policy.)
In 2002, an international student killed two fellow students at Victoria’s Monash University with pistols he’d acquired as a shooting club member. As a result, legislation was strengthened further in all Australian states and territories. Changes included a 10-round magazine capacity limit, a caliber limit of not more than 9.65 mm, a barrel length limit of not less than 120 mm for semi-automatic pistols and 100 mm for revolvers, and even stricter probation and attendance requirements for sport/ target shooters. Victoria spent $21 million to confiscate 18,124 target pistols and import 15,184 replacement pistols.
After Australia's rapid and no-nonsense response to these two firearm tragedies, the number of stolen guns fell dramatically from 4,195/year (from 1994-2000) to 1,526 per year from 2006–2007; and the overall homicide rate in Australia dropped to 1.57 per 100,000 population/year, with only 16% due to firearms (compared to 8.55 and 46%, respectively, in the US during the same period). No mass shootings occurred in Australia between when the NFA became law and May 2016 (though there was one murder-suicide of a family of 5), and the country experienced accelerated decreases in gun deaths, particularly suicides. Nonetheless, opponents continue to argue that these firearm-related improvements have nothing to do with Australia's increased gun control.
In 2016, Australia had approximately 13.7 guns per 100 people, while in 2000 (the latest data available) the United States had 101 guns per 100 people (and rising). But unfortunately, rather than considering whether America could and should follow in Australia's footsteps, the world is now considering whether Australia, itself, will stay the course.
A 2017 study commissioned by Gun Control Australia found that, twenty years after the NFA was introduced, not a single jurisdiction was fully compliant; and no state or territory had outlined a timeframe for achieving full compliance. In fact, since their initial gun-control improvements after the NFA was passed, Australian states had significantly weakened gun laws. For instance, the mandatory 28-day cooling-off period required for gun purchases has been relaxed in many jurisdictions, with no waiting periods for those who already own a gun; and many states now allow children to use guns. Moreover, despite the NFA's prohibition, New South Wales currently allows the use of silencers on a limited basis.
It's clear that, no matter where we live or how much we cry, scream, protest, and vote, guns aren't going anywhere. But that doesn't mean we should stop demanding effective gun control. Just imagine if we weren't pushing back. Our kids would be getting firearm training in elementary school and receiving handguns along with padlocks for their middle- and high-school lockers. This is why I am enamored with Coldplay's song, Guns. What better soundtrack is there as we march around in yet another circle?
