VICTIMS OF GUN CONTROL
Vulnerable Australians without the right to self defence, attacked, raped and murdered.
The thugs who endanger you and your family in your home, on the dark street or on public transport late at night are confident of your helplessness because they know you are denied the ability to defend yourself. The scum in our society prey on the weak and elderly because they know our law denies people the right to own a firearm for self defence.
In the 28 months from January 1990 to April 1992, 14 persons aged 60 or older were killed by strangers in their own homes in Victoria alone. (“The Age”, Page 4, 14 May 1992)
Over 25 elderly Australians are killed by strangers in their own homes each year (see the calculation here).
You or your loved ones might some day be defenceless in a situation like any of the following examples:
1976 Frank Percy Daynes, an elderly man of 91 who lived alone in Joondanna, W.A. He had his doors and windows securely locked but two thugs climbed on his roof, ripped off sheets of roofing iron and came down into his house and killed him. He had previously asked the police for help. (“The Age”, Page 4, 17 May 1976) (“The West Australian” Page 15, 25 June 1981)
1990 Janie Perrin aged 73, whose bludgeoned body was found in her unit in Bourke, N.S.W. (http://www.dailyliberal.com.au/story/865376/still-investigating-janies-murder/)
1991 Eileen Gassner aged 68 of Reservoir, Victoria, raped and stabbed to death in her home. (“The Age”, Page 17, 10 August 1991)
1992 Jean Jocelyn Lazlo aged 68, who was found in her home with beaten face, head and neck, fractured skull, facial bones, jawbone, breast bone and ribs. She had been suffocated by neck compression. Her murderer weighed about 120 kilograms, she weighed 46 kilograms and was beaten over a sustained period. ( “The Age”, Page A8, 16 August 1997)
1992 George Francis Crabb aged 83, bashed and stabbed to death in his home at East Malvern, Victoria (“The Age”, Page 3, 6 May 1993)
1996 Martin Bryant killed 35 innocent people at Port Arthur, Tasmania. If Australia allowed eligible persons to carry handguns for self defence at that time then this tragedy could have been avoided. Ronald Noble, who was Secretary General of Interpol has supported citizens being armed to prevent terrorism. He said; “you can’t have police everywhere”. (http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/exclusive-westgate-interpol-chief-ponders-armed-citizenry/story?id=20637341) (Some Australian States and Territories have Higher Homicide rates than some USA States that allow Handguns for Self Defence.)
1996 Orfeo Baldissera aged 69, whose tortured, strangled, bashed, bound and gagged body was found in his Preston home. (“The Age”, Page A8, 19 April 1997)
1997 Joyce Findlay aged 75, hit 7 times with a jemmy bar and strangled and then defiled in her Geelong West home. (“The Age”, Page 15, 24 October 1998)
1998 Phyllis Harrison, 71, was discovered deceased with multiple stab wounds at her Adelaide, Elizabeth South home in March 1998. www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-25/arrest-made-over-1998-murder-of-phyllis-harrison/12393128
1999 Pahetsorine Visisombat a 48 year old consultant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, whose body was found on the verandah of her Dandenong North home. She had struggled valiantly and bled throughout the house with the two young girls who attacked and stabbed her 28 times. (“The Age”, Page 9, 29 January 2000)
1999 Jean Elaine Downing, aged 79, killed by a 15 year old youth who stabbed her 12 times, she was stomped on and received fractures, cuts, bruises, muscle tears and tooth and jaw damage and was found dead in the back yard of her Frankston home. (“The Age”, Page 13, 9 June 2001)
1999 Irma Palasics and her husband Gregor were bound, gagged and viciously bashed when two men broke in and ransacked their home on Grover Crescent in McKellar, A.C.T. Irma Palasics later died of her injuries. Mr Palasics, severely injured, traumatised and grief-stricken, died within a year. (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-03/father-son-dna-link-irma-palasic-bashing-death-and-break-in/5861888)
2000 Maria Greening Zidan a frail pensioner aged 73 who was bashed, sexually assaulted and then strangled in her Seaford home. (“The Age”, Page 8, 20 May 2004)
2003 George William Brunker 63 years old of Tregear, N.S.W. bashed in his home and died later. (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2003-05-07/boy-charged-with-murder-after-home-invasion/1850154)
2006 Joseph Kelly, 87 died from his injuries after two women burst into his Camperdown, N.S.W. home. (http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/bail-refused-over-87yearolds-death/2007/08/08/1186530407902.html?s_cid=rss_news)
2007 Rachael Williams 92 years old of Broadmeadows who was hospitalised with serious head injuries after being brutally beaten in the sixth invasion of her home. (http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/intruder-bashes-92yearold-woman/2007/08/13/1186857429242.html)
2008 Vonne McGlynn aged 83 who disappeared from her Reynella home and whose dismembered body was found in a creek bed after an intruder entered her home by removing roof tiles. (http://www.news.com.au/national/angelika-gavare-guilty-of-murder/story-e6frfkvr-1226125381393)
2009 Greg Corrigan and his wife Val of Doncaster. Their home was invaded, they and their children terrified by three intruders who stabbed Greg 6 times whilst robbing the family. (“The Age”, Page 8, 5 November 2009)
2010 Iris Temperely 82 year old woman of Rockhampton, raped and bashed, who was found in her front yard and later died as a result. (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-09-13/man-jailed-for-life-on-rape-murder-charges/2897082)
2010 Pirjo Kemppainen aged 63 of Callington, South Australia, stabbed and bludgeoned to death in a thrill killing. (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-02/teenager-on-trial-charged-with-callington-murder/4794150)
2010 Krystyna Sadlowski aged 84 bashed to death in her Redcliffe, W.A. home. (https://thewest.com.au/news/australia/killer-unaware-blows-would-be-deadly-ng-ya-141913)
2010 Stanley “Bruce” Davies aged 75 of West Kempsey, N.S.W. bashed in home invasion, died six day later. (http://www.portnews.com.au/story/1726473/kempsey-murder-one-jailed/)
2011 Anne Redman aged 87 was punched in the face, fracturing her nose and neck, and had her throat slashed seven times with a blunt hunting knife by two youths aged 16 and 17 at her Seacliff, S.A. home. (http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/murderers-of-seacliff-pensioner-anne-redman-lose-appeal-against-20-year-sentences/story-e6frea83-1226650056894)
2011 Lynette Bradbury aged 52 bludgeoned to death in her home at Oatlands, N.S.W. (https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lynette-bradburys-halloween-killer-still-walks-free/news-story/4a46b615bd902f435ad5b7653d54cf41)
2012 Bill Gogas, 53 of Hamlyn Terrace, N.S.W., bashed in his home, later died. (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-16/teenager-charged-with-murder-after-home-invasion/4430460)
2012 Liselotte Watson, aged 85 was found bashed and dead in the bedroom of her Macleay Island home, Qld. (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-16/liselotte-watson-missing-money-weekend-before-death-court-told/5970312)
2013 Kylie Blackwood, Pakenham, Victoria killed in her home in a burglary gone wrong. (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-08/kylie-blackwood-murder-trial/11395430)
2013 An 81 year old Burnie, Tasmania woman raped in her home, feels unable to return to her home of over 40 years. (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-11/man-gets-nine-year-sentence-for-raping-elderly-tasmanian-woman/5149114?section=tas)
2013 Maureen Horstman, 67, and her daughter Tamara, 26, were bashed to death with a hammer at their Warwick W.A. home. (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-14/lesley-cameron-sentenced-to-32-years-jail-over-warwick-murders/6391422)
2014 Jeanette Moss aged 69 of Middle Park, Victoria, bashed to death in her apartment. (http://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/mystery-surrounds-murdered-melbourne-society-grandmother-jeanette-moss/story-fnj4aog3-1227184605011)
2014 Keith Cini aged 69 killed and his wife bashed in home invasion at Badgery’s Creek, N.S.W. (http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/two-men-charged-with-murdering-sydney-truck-driver-keith-cini-20141021-119hr5.html)
2014 Robert Adamson, 64, and his wife, Cheryl, 60 of Murrumbeena, Victoria stabbed to death in a “thrill” killing. Mrs Adamson tried to defend against the killer with a broom, the only weapon she had, before she too was killed. (http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/man-who-killed-much-loved-murrumbeena-couple-jailed-for-32-years-20141024-11bbmw.html)
2015 Launceston woman in her 70s sexually assaulted in her home. (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-30/police-hunt-man-who-assaulted-elderly-launceston-woman/6661076?section=tas)
2015 Ken Handford, aged 90 of Springbank, Victoria, killed in home invasion. (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-17/adam-williamson-jailed-kenneth-handford-murder/9666122)
2016 Valeria Fermendjin, aged 70 of Melville a suburb of Perth, WA, was killed during a burglary police said. She was a "frail lady" who "suffered injuries that were not pleasant". (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-12/elderly-perth-woman-killed-during-botched-burglary/7083804)
2016 Rosemary Russo 59, a Townsville grandmother was bludgeoned to death by a teenager James Mabo, after he broke into her home. (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-04/james-mabo-life-sentence-murder-rosemary-russo-townsville/11764890)
2016 Elizabeth Kippin 81, allegedly stabbed in her Wulguru, Queensland home by Anthony James O'Keefe, 37, who allegedly told police he was going on a "killing spree" and was "going to be famous". https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-19/trial-begins-for-man-charged-with-murder-of-elizabeth-kippin/100304370
2017 John Rielly, 71, died in hospital , a week after he was cruelly bashed in a violent dawn home invasion, during which a callous thief stole his wallet, his bank card and security number. (https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/law-order/hunt-for-youth-over-killing-of-adelaide-grandfather-john-rielly-for-his-atm-card-during-home-invasion/news-story/9fad03a3870d3f9be449c8f87639e0f3)
2018 Cara Hales, 30, was stabbed dozens of times in the neck, chest and arms after 25-year-old Jesse John de Beaux broke into her Munster home in Perth's south by smashing a window. (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-07/jesse-de-beaux-on-trial-accused-of-cara-hales-murder-in-munster/12956344)
2018 Kristie Powell, 39, was with her five-month-old baby when she was murdered by former employee Bhanu Kirkman in her Bellambi home, south of Sydney having suffered multiple stab wounds. Kirkman ripped off the front door's flyscreen, before kicking in the bedroom door where Ms Powell was hiding. (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-18/bhanu-kirkman-killed-kristie-powell-not-guilty-mental-health/11810436)
2019 Odette Feige, 71 was bashed in her Swan View home in Western Australia by a young male intruder. She was found lying in a pool of blood in the lounge room, with the house having been ransacked. www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-05/teenage-burglar-convicted-of-odette-feige-murder-swan-view/100958878
2020 Maurice and Zoe Antill both aged in mid 80s found in the southern Brisbane suburb of Parkinson. Police said the bodies had suffered significant injuries. Raghe Mohamed Abdi, 22 their killer, was fatally shot by police, after allegedly threatening officers with a knife. (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-18/man-shot-qld-police-logan-motorway-elderly-couple-double-murder/12996508)
2021 Gabbie Marshall 23 was fatally stabbed by Colin William Drake at a home in Ulverstone in Tasmania's north-west in June 2021, in what the judge said was a "random" attack. www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-12/colin-william-drake-life-sentence-murder-of-gabbie-marshall/103008626
2022 Emma Lovell, 41, was fatally stabbed in the chest after allegedly disturbing the offenders inside her North Lakes, Brisbane home.
www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-27/woman-killed-in-home-invasion-at-north-lakes/101809984
2023 Dr.Michael Yung 61 was assaulted during a home invasion and the top Adelaide paediatrician died in hospital.
www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-13/two-people-charged-with-murder-over-death-of-michael-yung/103221780
You can expect that the police will probably be on the scene shortly after you have been attacked and possibly killed.
But what would happen if any mature, trained, law abiding Australian could own and carry a handgun for self defence? (We already have a strict National system for licensing firearm owners which could easily form the basis for administering this.)
The answer is that only a small proportion of eligible people would take the opportunity to meet the necessary strict criteria to own a gun but the thugs and thrill killers would not know who was armed and who was not. That would mean that even if you did not wish to own one yourself, you would never-the-less obtain the same protection because the criminal would not know that you were not armed.
If women and weak and elderly Australians were no longer defenceless, would crimes against them go up or down? Would more or less of our lone defenceless elderly women be raped and murdered in their own homes?
Here are examples of Australians defending themselves with a gun:
1. A rapist who had broken into homes over an extended period and raped 16 women including an 82 year old, one 8 months pregnant and three in their 70s was finally successfully frightened off by a woman with a gun.
(“The Age”, Page 3, 14 October 1993)
2. 2009 Police in Perth decided not to charge a 77-year-old man who shot an intruder during an alleged burglary at his home in Herne Hill, Western Australia.
Police said two intruders forced their way into the home of Eugene Valenti and his bed-ridden wife.
They said Mr Valenti armed himself with a shotgun, locked himself and his wife in a bedroom and warned the men he was armed.
The men forced their way in and, in the ensuing struggle, a shot was fired, wounding one of them.
(http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-02-23/elderly-man-who-shot-home-intruder-will-not-be/305300)
Trapped in Fire by Home Security
It is often suggested that home owners should protect themselves by installing security devices such as window grills or locks etc. The facts are that many Australians have perished tragically when trapped by their home security. These tragedies are further costs as a consequence of denying law abiding people the means of self defence. (See examples of Fire Deaths Caused by Security Devices)