Criminal Access to Guns Impossible to Prevent
Guns are Easy to Make
There are countless examples of homemade guns. The Internet is open to all and provides a source of information for those who want to make a gun. The simplest design of all is the “slam bang” gun which in its most basic form could be made in any home in Australia in about 10 minutes. All that is needed is pipe of the same internal diameter as the cartridge size and another shorter pipe length of a larger diameter to act as the receiver of the first pipe. A cap on the receiver pipe has a hole drilled in its centre in which the shaped head of a nail is inserted to act as firing pin. It so happens that ¾” internal diameter pipe takes a shotgun cartridge and 1” pipe can make the receiver. If the receiver pipe has a thread on one end and the cap is also threaded, the two can be just screwed together. Tools needed; a hacksaw to cut the pipes to length, a drill to make the hole for the nail firing pin and perhaps a file to shape the head of the nail. The cartridge is inserted in the barrel pipe and then slammed into the receiver pipe to fire. Here is a link which explains the process. (http://mindtomachine.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/12-gauge-pipe-shotgun.html)
Victoria Police Seize 20 Pipe Guns
Low level criminals are now making or buying pipe guns and Victoria Police seized 20 in Melbourne Western suburbs in seven months. The police reported that they are rudimentary and “ not popular with those at the higher end of the drug trade”. In other words police admit that the higher end of the drug trade is much better armed. (http://ssaa.org.au/news-resources/firearms-industry/victoria-police-warns-of-homemade-pipe-guns/)
Homemade Submachine Guns
But of course Australian criminals are making and/or importing much more sophisticated weapons than the slam bang type. Our criminal artisans produce sub-machine guns. Here is a typical example reported about Western Australia; (http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/sub-machine-gun-seized-from-gang-raid/story-fnhocxo3-1226659401117 )
100 Mac10 Perfectly Made Submachine Guns
Angelos Koots admitted in the Sydney District Court that he had made up to 100 Mac10 submachine guns which were described as perfectly constructed.
(http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/jeweller-angelos-koots-admits-to-making-submachine-guns-at-his-seven-hills-home-and-supplying-them-to-bikie-groups/story-fni0cx12-1226760983916 )
220 Glock Pistols Imported by Criminals
In 2014, Sydney police arrested four people including the franchisee of Sylvania Waters Post Office who had been involved in the importation of between 160 and 220 Glock pistols. (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-03-14/pistol-import-ring-exposes-customs-service/3889450)
The inescapable implication of the ease of home made manufacture of firearms is that it is simply not possible for authorities to prevent criminals accessing weapons by harassing the law abiding firearm owner. This ease of manufacture means that the currently wasted efforts licensing Category A and B firearms of the law abiding should instead be directed at the use and possession by criminals.
There are countless examples of homemade guns. The Internet is open to all and provides a source of information for those who want to make a gun. The simplest design of all is the “slam bang” gun which in its most basic form could be made in any home in Australia in about 10 minutes. All that is needed is pipe of the same internal diameter as the cartridge size and another shorter pipe length of a larger diameter to act as the receiver of the first pipe. A cap on the receiver pipe has a hole drilled in its centre in which the shaped head of a nail is inserted to act as firing pin. It so happens that ¾” internal diameter pipe takes a shotgun cartridge and 1” pipe can make the receiver. If the receiver pipe has a thread on one end and the cap is also threaded, the two can be just screwed together. Tools needed; a hacksaw to cut the pipes to length, a drill to make the hole for the nail firing pin and perhaps a file to shape the head of the nail. The cartridge is inserted in the barrel pipe and then slammed into the receiver pipe to fire. Here is a link which explains the process. (http://mindtomachine.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/12-gauge-pipe-shotgun.html)
Victoria Police Seize 20 Pipe Guns
Low level criminals are now making or buying pipe guns and Victoria Police seized 20 in Melbourne Western suburbs in seven months. The police reported that they are rudimentary and “ not popular with those at the higher end of the drug trade”. In other words police admit that the higher end of the drug trade is much better armed. (http://ssaa.org.au/news-resources/firearms-industry/victoria-police-warns-of-homemade-pipe-guns/)
Homemade Submachine Guns
But of course Australian criminals are making and/or importing much more sophisticated weapons than the slam bang type. Our criminal artisans produce sub-machine guns. Here is a typical example reported about Western Australia; (http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/sub-machine-gun-seized-from-gang-raid/story-fnhocxo3-1226659401117 )
100 Mac10 Perfectly Made Submachine Guns
Angelos Koots admitted in the Sydney District Court that he had made up to 100 Mac10 submachine guns which were described as perfectly constructed.
(http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/jeweller-angelos-koots-admits-to-making-submachine-guns-at-his-seven-hills-home-and-supplying-them-to-bikie-groups/story-fni0cx12-1226760983916 )
220 Glock Pistols Imported by Criminals
In 2014, Sydney police arrested four people including the franchisee of Sylvania Waters Post Office who had been involved in the importation of between 160 and 220 Glock pistols. (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-03-14/pistol-import-ring-exposes-customs-service/3889450)
The inescapable implication of the ease of home made manufacture of firearms is that it is simply not possible for authorities to prevent criminals accessing weapons by harassing the law abiding firearm owner. This ease of manufacture means that the currently wasted efforts licensing Category A and B firearms of the law abiding should instead be directed at the use and possession by criminals.