The bloody rampage by a knife-wielding madman in Sydney, Australia over the weekend underscores the deadly danger of public disarmament in a nation whose restrictive gun control strategies are often envied by U.S. gun control advocates, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said.
A second mass stabbing at a church in western Sydney left four people injured, including a church bishop. The Monday attack occurred while the church service was live streaming. Police have taken that suspect into custody.
Six people were killed at a shopping mall Saturday before the killer, identified as Joel Cauchi of Queensland, was fatally shot by a police officer. CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb noted the irony of the scenario, where a man committing mayhem with a knife had to be stopped by a man armed with a gun.
“American gun prohibitionists frequently whine about the alleged ‘insanity’ represented by millions of private citizens who are legally armed in public,” Gottlieb observed. “True insanity is disarming the public, leaving them defenseless against madmen who attack without warning, and literally face no resistance from their victims.
“By contrast, Australia banned a wide array of firearms following the 1996 massacre in Port Arthur,” he recalled, “and carrying firearms in public, openly or concealed, is prohibited. One might suppose that after the events of this weekend, Australia will try to ban knives. Read more
