News From Australia:

Tougher legal measures against people who supply illegal firearms have been announced by the SA Government.

Attorney-General John Rau plans to extend measures he announced back in July, to include people complicit in firearms crime.

Under previous plans, serious firearms offenders would face mandatory jail terms and there would be few circumstances where a sentence could be suspended.

Mr Rau said the Government would now extend the measures to complicity.

“This means anyone who sells or supplies an illegal firearm will be liable for any offence committed by the person to whom they provide the firearm,” he said.

“So if you provide someone with an illegal firearm and that person commits murder using that weapon, you will also be charged with being an accessory to that crime.”

Mr Rau said the toughening of measures had been prompted by the murder of Adelaide teenager Lewis McPherson in 2012 and the recent jailing of the man who sold the gun to the killer.

“The purpose of this of course is to make it very clear to those people who trade in firearms you are accountable for the harm that these illegal firearms are causing in our community,” he said.

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Judge Paul Muscat said guns should be totally banned to prevent them from falling into criminal hands.

He said the 1996 guns buyback scheme in the wake of the the Port Arthur massacre had not removed illegal firearms from the community.

“Our community now lives in fear of offenders armed with firearms. In the wrong hands, guns are deadly,” he said.

He said most licensed gun owners took the responsibility seriously, but guns still had no place in a civilised society.

“In my view, the possession of firearms serves absolutely no legitimate purpose in our society … people want guns, they do not need them,” he said.

“Even a licensed firearm owner can misuse a gun under the wrong circumstances. They are human after all, prone to making errors of judgment.

“The sooner firearms are totally banned, the better off our society will be. No-one should be able to keep guns at their home [as] many guns end up being stolen from licensed owners.

Rather than go after the gangs and criminals who use firearms for harm, the law goes after anyone who sells guns, and don’t let this fool you.  This means firearms dealers as well.

This is what cowards do.  They go after the peaceable rather than the violent.  They are scared of the violent, so it’s easier for the bullies to beat up on the ones who won’t fight back.