Quote from Fernando on Jul 8th, 2008, 5:16pm:Depending on where you live (my problem is NYC being very prohibitive and restrictive, thus tha prices are a lot higher), but in many places, you can go to a pawn shop and pick up a good piece and a respectful price.
Okay, here's the deal. I would love to own a gun, but government men tell me I can't own one. Getting firearms in Australia is hard... very hard. To even get a license to own a gun, I need a very good "genuine" reason, such as being a hunter, farmer, police officer or a highly-trained security guard on dangerous duties. I am none of the above, and "self defense" is not considered a valid reason for owning a gun. In addition to that, the type of firearms available are also extremely restricted. If you're a farmer wanting a gun for pest control, you won't be able to acquire a handgun like a Glock 22, for example. Semi-automatic rifles are
very restricted, and fully-automatic rifles and assault rifles are impossible to obtain. In addition to that, a long list of ridiculous storage rules apply, such as requiring the gun to be in a locked, immobile metal cabinet or safe, with the ammunition in a separate locked, immobile metal cabinet or safe. Stupid!
At the moment, the major demographics with guns in Australia are criminals. They're out there, and they've got everything from pistols to assault rifles, and even rocket launchers (
link). To be honest, I'd like a gun for the same reason as many people: I don't want to have to wait an hour (or more) for the cops to show up if someone is in my home terrorising my partner or myself. I kid you not, the cops here are so bad, sometimes they don't even show up at all. I know; it's happened to me.
Anyways, that said, I want a gun. Mind you, I want a lot of reasonable things that the government refuse to give me: a bill of rights, a decent constitution, the right to free speech, and the right to get married. I'm inclined to move. I've applied for a green card, but that lottery is very difficult to win, and the chance of my partner and myself
both being accepted are abysmally small.
Any advice?