Tell ya what Al. Interview the Aussie's that were visiting NO, were moved to the NO SuperDome, for their safety!, whereupon the six police officers abandoned the people and barracaded themselves in their office, so the Aussie's and other foreigners, for fear of their safety, left the SuperDome and holed up in a hotel lobby or something. Ask them if they'd felt safer with only the cops having guns.

Drunk Aussie's shooting in the middle of the night is not the same thing as a time of lawless crisis. That behaviour could and should have been remedied by ultra harsh penalties. Taking away the populaces guns only benefits the state and the common criminals.

Furthermore, I am certain it is no different in Oz: the police invariably show up after the crime. Making a loaded gun at the ready ones surest protection. Especially if the intruder is wondering whether this household is armed, or not.

But, in Oz, and do clarify the details I get wrong, you've allowed your government, as of three years ago(was it?), to mandate that you can't keep guns at home, that they must be kept at a shooting range, excepting a, singular, shotgun, and that must be locked up, not readily available.

If I were a crooked sort, I'd like that set up, and if I were caught in the act by the home owner, the prudent thing to do would be to kill every witness: bang bang bang. But surely, Oz has a better class of criminals than the US and yours dutifully registered or turned in their guns.-)

Furthermore, I don't believe I would trust the people/organizations who supported disarming the citizenries assessment of the situation. Before or after!

Too, I am not a gun owner, but I am going to remedy that given what occurred in New Orleans, cause the fact of the matter is that the police, largely, when push came to shove, abandoned their post in that time of crisis and left the people they were/are sworn to protect and serve, to their own devices, and thus defenseless(unless they had a gun). I can assure you, I would have risked being shot as a looter for trying to obtain a weapon and ammo.

So, do you think your countrymen in New Orleans would have rather had a law, or loaded weapon?

Respect