Hundreds of thousands of military style weapons or powerful handguns would need to be wanted by criminals in Australia to create such a massive gunrunning market. At present, weak gun laws in our states have allowed the conversion of legal to illegal handguns and the robbery of handguns from gun stores and gun collections. Regrettably there seem to be ample guns on the blackmarket already.

Mr Crook commented on Mr Crean’s argument, “What Australians really need to help reduce our gun problem is more determined state premiers who will enact stricter gun laws so that pistol clubs can use only Olympic and Commonwealth Games required handguns, and robberies of gun stores and collections become a thing of the past”. “We also need far more serious training for shooters, but the premiers will not take on that responsibility”. ” It is blatantly ridiculous for over 99.9 per cent of shooters to pass their safety training exam” said Mr Crook, “yet this is what has happened in Victoria for several years”.

Mr Crook also noted that well known American TV social commentator Michael Moore has had his award winning film ‘Bowling for Columbine’ media released. at the Jam Factory cinema in Melbourne. (Due for public release in late December.) Mr Crook commented that “The recent Monash University shooting reminds us of the 15 deaths and 23 injuries at the Columbine Senior School in Littleton Colorado”. “We must stop Victoria becoming a gun culture in any way like that portrayed in the United States, as shown in the film Bowling for Columbine”. “Yet despite the state election on Saturday, with the exception of the Greens, none of the major parties contesting the election have declared their stand for much stricter gun laws”.

In Saturday’s Victorian ~on Mr Crook “asked voters to realise that The Greens stood alone on the need for vast reductions in handgun numbers but that the ALP was a much safer option than the Liberal and National Parties”. Mr Crook “also urged voters who are interested in a gunsafer community to avoid voting for the three independents, Susan Davies, Craig Ingram and Russell Savage, who seem to be heavily influenced by the gun lobby.

Mr Crook said that “Gun Control Australia wished to remind voters that it was the Vicnats who must take the blame for greatly weakening Victoria’s gun laws in 1998 and the Vicnats will almost certainly control any future Liberal – National Coalition on the matter of guns, just as they did in the Kennett government”.