Self defence in Australia

Australia should allow the right for the public to openly carry some form of self defence weapon. Lethal or non lethal. This mainly includes small knives, Pepper spray, And handheld tasers.

In order to have access to these items, The person must be over the age of 18, Have no previous criminal convictions and must pass a mental health assessment. The moment a person attempts to use one of these items incorrectly, They immediately loose the right to access the weapon.

We are doing great right now. I feel safe walking the streets of Australia and letting people carry weapons, Even if "only for self-defence", Would make me feel less safe. Even with all these checks and measures, It is safer for no one to carry a weapon then for people to carry a weapon for self-defence. Let me pose you a question. We have a civilian carrying a weapon for self-defence. They go to a pub or bar. They become intoxicated and use the weapon to injure another person. This could not be stopped.

As mentioned early, Australia is going well, And there is no need to carry weapons on our streets.

It may seem like Australia is doing well now. However, According to statistics, Crime rate is currently increasing. In a few more years, Crime will continue to increase unless we do something about it. There have been multiple times when a member of the public would have been better off using one of these tools for self defence. As for the criminals, There is not much stopping them from using a weapon right now. It is not hard to conseal a knife of any type. This law would, At least, Allow some form of protection for those who need it most.

Gang related activity such as violent attacks are becoming a lot more common. These attacks will decrease once the public has the ability to fight back. Take a look at America. They have the right to self defence and have no problem with shooting an attacker. Compare that to counties like Europe who have a much higher percentage of what is called "hot burglaries. " Hot burglaries is a home invasion that takes place when the owner is home. The reason for this is because America allows the home owner to defend themselves.

Someone going into a pub or bar when they are armed is no different to now. There is nothing stopping someone walking into the pub with a knife in their pocket. However, If a fight were to break out in a pub, The people inside would have an effective method of preventing it from escalating and may even prevent further injury and/or property damage.

I am not saying people should be allowed to open carry firearms. All I am saying is, At the very least, Allow them to have some form of protection. Right now, They have nothing.

How would you recommend deterring criminals. Police have been trying to work that out for a long time, Yet their efforts seem to be failing. The average police response time is 12 minutes. That is a very long time in a life or death situation. Allowing people to access these weapons so they can deal with the problem instantly.

Do you believe that police officers should carry their taser when off duty? If you do, Then I would expect that you would allow other people to carry a taser. We can reach middle ground and agree that the people who wish to carry these weapons should complete a training session such as a certification. We will not be simply handing them out to whoever wants one.

Imagine if someone had a taser during that Melbourne knife attack last year. That would have saved at the very least one life. And if this is what we have to do to save a life, So be it.