-Caveat Lector- The Australian way: In case of civil war, make sure the innocent can't defend themselves. http://www.theage.com.au/news/2001/05/11/FFXYISIEJMC.html Push for uniform gun laws in Pacific By GREG ROBERTS BRISBANE Friday 11 May 2001 South Pacific nations are set to adopt gun controls similar to those in Australia, after a three-day meeting that ends in Brisbane today. The Federal Government signalled yesterday that Australian laws may need to be modified to achieve a uniform gun-control system in the increasingly troubled region. Key changes proposed by South Pacific delegates, such as stricter limitations on the ownership of semi-automatic and automatic weapons, are similar to those introduced in Australia after the Port Arthur massacre. The ease of access to high-powered weapons has exacerbated regional unrest, including the 10-year civil war on Bougainville and the Solomon Islands conflict. Officials from South Pacific island states have agreed to draw up laws for their countries within a regional framework. Australia wants the framework formally adopted at the next South Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Nauru in August. But delegates admitted that the laws would not be able to tackle the region's central gun-control problem - the role of ill-disciplined police and military personnel. Kini Keteca, legal adviser to the Fiji Police Force, said the laws would be limited because they would not restrict police and military access to firearms, but he praised plans to reduce the broader population's access to weapons. Pacific Islands regional coordinator for the Australian Federal Police Terry Allen said the laws could not directly deal with the underlying causes of many of the region's problems, such as urban drift, unemployment and inequitable access to government services. "What we can do is to have a better control of weapons which probably allows the political processes to deal with some of the issues," Mr Allen said. "At the end of the day we can probably do away with some of the large numbers of guns in the region. That has to be a good thing." Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman David Apps said the laws would restrict access to official armories. The Solomon Islands conflict, for instance, intensified when the Malaita Eagle Force seized police weapons. Mr Apps said Australia may need to modify its gun laws to achieve regional uniformity. "The hope would be that we will not be required to alter our legislation in any dramatic way," he said. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
