Today in Great Britain, there is almost a total ban on civilian ownership of handguns, all except for .22 handguns, which are required to be kept at a gun club and antiques; while in Australia there is a complete ban of all semi-automatic weapons including .22s and weapons like pump action shotguns.
The reason for gun conversation in Great Britain follows the attack on a Scottish schoolhouse by a single maniac with an autoloading pistol. While in Australia, the rampage of a lone madman with a rifle is held up as justification for the ban on semi-automatic firearms. In both these cases their where civilian deaths, and in both cases the fanatic was caught.
For some reason when such things happen in America it is dealt with in a different way. There have been several occurrences in America concerning the massacre of civilians with the use of firearms. In July 1984, a deranged lone gunman killed 21 customers and employees at a San Sedro, California MacDonald’s. In August 1986, a similar massacre occurred in an Oklahoma Post Office by a recently discharged postal worker, resulting in 15 dead. Other incidents may come to mind, or can easily be found in the press.
