The Guns & Ammo Network

Use Guns? Don’t Even Pose with Them!

by Robert W. Hunnicutt • June 12, 2012 • 56 comments

We are regularly told that anti-gun politicians don’t want to stop us from using guns, and that they only want “common sense” measures to reduce crime. They’re not trying to oppress us good old law-abiding hunters and gun owners, they always say.

Well, I always say, when you want to know what they are really thinking, look abroad, where the antis enjoy full control and can have things exactly their way.

Australian swim team members Nick D’Arcy and Kenrick Monk will be forced to leave the Olympics after their competition ends this summer for posting a photo on Facebook. A photo of them molesting a drunken coed, maybe? Nope, a picture of them posing with guns at a California shooting range. Just to drive the point home, they are also banned from using social media for a month.

Now, just to be excruciatingly fair, the down-under duo has accumulated a long series of minor scrapes with the law and Olympic bureaucrats, for which they have been sanctioned before. They also are the minor scrapes we are accustomed to seeing 20-something jocks pile up.

But the notion that posting a picture of yourself enjoying a legal activity in a legal place could get you within a whisker of being tossed off a nation’s Olympic team? Just shows the level of coercion the political correctness police in Australia are prepared to apply when the subject is guns.

In Culture & Politics • Tagged , ,
  • Tony

    Thank God that here in Canada we have not progressed to that point. We are still able to own a variety of Guns(with certain restrictions similar to california) and the government has revoked the useless long gun resistry.

    • Old Bob

      You folks up north is better keep an eye on your politicians or Canada will find itself in the same boat as all of the old British Colonies. I looked in the going north to go hunting on several occasions and the restrictions that are placed on my firearms and stopping cold every time. I think we ought to take the United States and Canada and split both countries in East and West and form two new countries it seems that everyone in the East as something against firearms and most of the people in the West accept them as what they are tools. Of course that is with the exception of the good old granola state California, why granola because the state is full of nothing but Fruits, Nuts, And Most of the Rest Are All Flakes.

      For the portions of Canada that I've driven through It Is a Very Very Beautiful Country and 90% of the people in that were fantastic even the ones I couldn't understand because I never took French. For heaven sake don't let your politicians neuter your country.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000161077324 Aaron Peck Sr.

      as a U.S. citizen i love canada, and i was contemplating on moving there until i read about the gun restrictions.

    • Tony

      I live in Arizona and I can own just about any gun I want with no registration of any kind. and even better I don't need any special permit to carry my fire arms concealed on my person or in my vehicle loaded and ready to use to protect my self. I can even grab my 1911 and carry it plain open site and I will not be harassed buy any law enforcement officials.
      you say your lucky. well I say i'm the lucky one and you and your fellow countrymen need to fight harder to reclame the rights you have lost so far, because if you settle for what you have and don't continue to fight you will end up like australia. I will never capitalize a country's name when they take the right away from the people who call it home. ( I apologize to the people of austraia but you gave away your gun rights shame on you.
      Keep up the fight my friend.

    • handgunnar

      Yeah, you Canadians are lucky. You're only 90% as screwed over by your government as the Australians are.

    • com2pc

      TONY, You wouldnt REALLY Call That PROGRESSION?? Would You??? I would call it OPRESSION ! REGRESSION, and LUDICROUS…

  • Gene Du Bose

    Do our Down Under Cousins even have a Pistol and Rifle Team in the Olympics anymore? Stupid is as Stupid does.Obummer and his hinchmen and women are quite stupid, but haven't attempted to totally disregard the US Constitution and the Amendments, yet.

    A nation unable to protect itself, is a nation of sheep waiting to be slaughtered!
    Gene Du Bose

    • dan

      unreal??? Even if Idiot in Chief does not get re-elected he could (and most likely,will sign some executive orders during his 'LAME DUCK" period that will encroach on the 2nd amendment!! If he happens to get re-elected(HOW on Earth?) he will have four years to climb out from "under the radar" and try to impose anti gun regs……watch the UN this year;,,,,very telling! The Small arms gun treaty is a hoax -to squish our 2nd amendment! Be aware,be READY!!!!!

    • Steve

      Actually the Australians are sending 17 Olympians to the London games. But they are not allowed to pose with swim fins or in Speedos.

      • handgunnar

        Funny, but I used to think that Aussies were Asia's counterpart to Americans in the West but I guess manliness makes their government pussies uncomfortable.

    • Joe

      my God man ! isnt a minute attempt to disregard the constitution scary to you? stupid is as stupid does give this administration an inch and watch what they take.

  • jdmcomp

    Is there any real shooting at the Big O any more? Or is the whole thing airrifle, 22 and shotgun?

  • sammy

    you are quite right,i have been saying for years that if we lose our right too own guns then we are ripe for dictator control.

  • The Safe Shooter

    And they wonder why Down Under their crime rate soared 150 percent after they banned Guns.. WHY?? Because the bad guys have nothing to fear now and they are the only ones with guns that includes the Police.. Scumbags in the US need to leave our constition alone. The Laws of this land were put into place for a purpose and they know the purpose the biggest purpose is to keep the government afraid of the People. Read any of the founding fathers Quotes Im not making this stuff up.

  • Des

    In the words of John Adams:
    If men through fear, fraud or mistake, should in terms renounce and give up any essential natural right, the eternal law of reason and the great end of society, would absolutely vacate such renunciation; the right to freedom being the gift of God Almighty, it is not in the power of Man to alienate this gift, and voluntarily become a slave.

  • IndyMo

    There's a couple of you dudes who need to forgo further posting and commentary until you install a program with auto spell-check. Right now, you're just providing more fuel to the anti's who are saying; "see-they're just a bunch of neanderthals who don't know basic grammar & spelling" !! We need intelligent-sounding commentary-please!

    • TransplantGuy

      I have some really bad news for you.

      If you think that perfect English, spelling and typing skills should be a requirement for commenting, and perhaps the right to possess a firearm, you my friend are no better than the leftists who you lament.

      The concept of the Constitution did NOT exclude law-abiding citizens because of a lack of language skills; on the contrary, many of the time would be considered illiterate by today's standards.

      If you think the "antis", as you put them, will ease their attacks because we're more educated, perhaps you should get out a bit more. The liberal elite are the problem – not the lack of a high-school or college degree for the rest of us. Look at those voting now, ask yourself how many of them can speak proper English, and then decide how many voters you want that are FOR the 2nd Amendment.

      • Todd

        Actually, our electoral college for electing the President, was designed to specifically prevent uneducated people from choosing our President. There were numerous "protections" installed in our government so that only literate and educated people could determine the course of our nation. This is the point the previous person tried to make. The left is full of "elitist" individuals who have no respect for those of us who may not present an articulate discussion. Just slow down and prepare an intelligent argument. Don't write or yell out of emotion. That is what the anti-gun crowd is using for their argument.

        • com2pc

          YEA TODD. And Look where That has gotten us!!!!!!!

          • Todd

            Our problems today are directly linked to the fact that we have moved away from what our Founders put in place. If we return to the system we were given, we would have none of the issues we face today. If only educated landowners were allowed to vote (please keep in mind that this would exclude me from the process) we would solve our countries problems in a few short months.

      • guest

        While I agree with you on your point, the one thing you overlook is that when the Constitution was written, to be able to vote one must have been a land owner. Think of this: it wasn't put there by accident– the framers knew that if one owned land they have "skin in the game" so to speak. Over the past 120 years the Progressive movement has convinced everyone that we all should have an equal voice, and it has led us down the path we're on–to bankruptcy and ultimatly the loss of our Republic. It's also not the "liberal elite", it's the "Ruling Class" mentality of BOTH liberals and (so-called) conservatives that have led us down this path.

        • Todd

          I agree with you and appreciate your point. But, it wasn't overlooked. I just felt it was beyond the scope of our discussion. To your point, however, it was Reagan who signed the law to prevent any new automatic weapons be built for civilian use . This had the affect of driving prices beyond the average person's ability to purchase…obviously their goal. While Obama is more vocal in his opposition to firearm ownership, Romney has also supported banning firearms. So, we ALL need to stay aware of our rights regardless of who takes office. The "Ruling Class" is NOT us and we should support every firearms organization we can afford to support. If not financially, then with our time.

          • Mike

            I am in complete agreement. Please, let us not forget what political party Jim Brady was affiliated with.

        • com2pc

          The CONSERVATIVES do N O T, Go OR, Lead down The same path as the so called Progressives and Liberal Elite. Do Not Lump all the eggs in the same basket please…

          • Todd

            You are right com2pc. We should avoid using absolutes and "lumping" everyone in the same basket.

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003945494320 Howell Clark

        amen transplantguy

  • Pete in Arizona

    Maybe the whole Australian olympic team should be banned from the Olympics if the parent country indulges in such lunacy as gun control and trampling on free speech (and photo) rights. Thank God we have a meaningful Constitution here in the USA. Remember ONLY FREE MEN OWN GUNS. (That means free women as well.)

  • Inar

    Most of the comments that appear on this story are unthinking drivel. especially "old Bob". California does have more restrictions on hand guns(I have a permit to carry an exposed fire arm) but this does not prevent me from enjoying the "Freedom to shoot". Secondly, You idiots that think that "God" gives us the right to own guns are living in a dream world. God does not care about our behavior. It's up to human beings to define our social and political behavior and this applies to gun ownership too. Thats why humans have "Free will" or the gift of politics in a human society.

    • Jeepers Creepers

      What !!!! You have to have a permit to open carry a firearm. Where do you live??? Russia.

    • Despise CA

      What section of CA law authorizes permits for open carry of a loaded hand gun? We just lost the right of open carry of unloaded hand guns anywhere in the state. CCWs are only issued on a very limited basis and only if you live in certain rural counties. We also can't own detachable mags that hold more than 10 rounds, supressors, machine guns, .50 can guns, any "assault" weapons, flash hiders, pistol grips, barrel shrouds (in some combination), etc. Plus, shooting itself is onerously regulated. Don't think of violating any of the tough transportation laws. Just having an unloaded shotgun and a box of ammo in an SUV could mean jail.

      • Xiccarph

        Sort of explains why you'd have to be totally looney or a registered Progressive to move to the People's Republic of CA.

      • inar

        You must be from Nevada where you can own a 105 mm howitzer. Rocket launchers and assorted other non-essential civilian weapons, is this what you call "Freedom"? I know we all need 50 round mags to kill the varmits like Mitt Romney and you other "Conservatives" who see freedom when it comes to killing people just ask Floridas Zimmerman what we need is a free for all where we can all kill each other in the name of freedom, Oh wait we already did that in the civil war which many of you are still fighting. Living in the 19th century: boys-keep it up and history will repeat itself.

        • Guest

          I hope you have a visit from the Secret Service for the Romney comment.

        • com2pc

          INAR… Change your name to INEPT…. We dont need Left wing Liberal dweebs like You Nor Your ignorant comments.

        • John H Marsh

          Inar—you apparantly are a complete fool and idiot!!!!

      • com2pc

        Souds Like Austrailia OR Russia to me. I would NOT live in such a place. WE can Open carry with The CCL, In My state. However. Most choose to go concealed. The element of Surprise!!

    • http://www.facebook.com/byron.morris.501 Byron Morris

      Is this guy for real….???? I find it hard to believe that even a rabid gun-grabber could be so ignorant, and spout this much stupid stuff in one paragraph……surely somebody made this up and posted it as a parody of the total ignorance of gun-grabbers…..

      • http://www.facebook.com/byron.morris.501 Byron Morris

        His ignorance doesn't warrant any kind of a reply – especially on a web-site like Shotgun News – there is nothing that any of us can say that is going to sway his mind – so don't waste your time or your blood pressure – some people are just terminally ignorant, and there's not a thing you can do about it…..:)
        "

  • Jeepers Creepers

    I thought the crime rate down under was zero. No murders by guns, No rapes, no muggings by guns. They must be using 10 inch long bowie knifes to do the crimes now.

  • Bill West

    Good thing they didn't get caught in Nevada with a hooker- the penalty could have been spectacular!

    • Liberty First

      No, they would have been cool with that as long as they gave them her number.

  • howell clark

    my nephew in law came from england with his wife ,my niece and he took several pictures like that going through my gun safe sure hope he didn't get arrested. he had a marvelous time and rather enjoyed himself. one convert at a time.

  • inar

    By the way you get a permit to Carry an exposed firearm if you are in the security business in California and are in the process of carrying out your assignment. Moreover, Iam glad people can't open carry any gun in the most populous state. There are alot of idiots that live here and this prevents them from being even dumber than they would normally be-too many drugs and alcohol make normal people into idiots. As you can tell I don't trust human being with to much freedom.

    • com2pc

      Like I said………. INEPT

      • inar

        Com2pc the only thing that is inept is your capacity to argue your point which I take is you want all people to open carry guns like Arizona. Maybe you can hunt down some illegals and execute them. By the way killing a human being is a moral as well as a legal crime unless under conditions of war. All of these Stand your Ground laws are basically nothing more than law seeking a non existant problem when you consider the FBI's uniform crime reporting. One might consider that the interest groups promoting these "Laws" are nothing more than economically interested Gun promoters who will "get rich" on the fear that something might happen to a vulnerable populace.

        • John H marsh

          Arizona is one hell of a lot safer than your state. You are so smart then why is it that the most gun restricted areas are the areas with by far the highest crime rate—according to the FBI!!!
          You need to live somewhere that they tell you most everything you can do.

  • Mr. Smith

    Wow that's really harsh, I thought that Australia was a free country, you know, a country where you could speak your mind – or at least had some semblance of the freedom of speech. Isn’t a photograph a form of free speech? How long do you think it will be before the Olympics or the Australian government will regulate the political banner or ad that an athlete is photographed with?

    Smith

  • Buzz

    It is my opinion that you (all) are wasting time arguing about arguments and most are illiterate about firearms in general. Guns, in general are tools, with multiple possibilities for use; sporting events, hunting, competition, investment and home and personal defense. The problem with the anti-gunners is that they fear peace and freedom loving people will get tired of their "I know what's best for you and you don't" mentality and use those guns on THEM. It is to our joy that the 2nd Amendment has held firm in our protection. Be afraid, be very afraid mouthy, gutless blowhard "Progressives".

  • M1A308

    I would really like to know more about inar, is he a puffer that does not like mean people? Really, you are on a Shot Gun News site and you disagree with the common consenus that guns are good and there are bad people in the world that should be shot !

  • John

    I don’t know about anyone else, but as an American I find it pretty insulting that a picture of someone exercising their rights in the USA is ban from the Olympics

  • john

    Who said that cool buled steel ever hare a good of bad side.

  • Heretic

    Boycott the olympics!

  • John H Marsh

    All the folks that think that they are so smart and know what is best for the rest of us can go "straight to hell"
    I do not need idiots and complete "followers" attempting to tell me what is right for me! Thses idiots need a "nanny State"—not the rest of us.

  • CannMan

    Exactly what rights do Australian citizens have in the US when it comes to firearms? Hmmmmmmm

  • Shane

    As an australian who has experienced first hand what not "toeing the line" can cost in this country,I could not agree more with the above comments. I was sickened when I heard on the news the fallout those young men received. Firearm laws in this country have as I predicted years ago,become oppressive. In this country any "perceived " violation of the firearms act will instantly land you in prison, until such time as you can prove otherwise. As a result,the likelihood of me ever being granted a visa to enter a free country like the US is minimal. I will close by saying,look at what other populations have allowed to happen and politically resist before it gets to a point where it's too late.

  • Phil

    I was in Cabelas in Texas and noticed a mideastern looking man photgraph me as I handled an assault rifle. Seemed strange so I followed him an found 2 men and 2 women. The women were in full mideastern array with long dressess and faces covered. They were amazed that they could just walk around the used gun racks and pick up guns and inspect them. They took dozens of pictures in a variety of poses, even the women with only their eys showing. We take for granted the freedoms that we have. Just interesting to me. Now as an attorney, I advise everyone to never pose with a gun. You defend yourself and shoot someone every email, facebook pose an everything you ever put on the net, is an exibit at your trial. Like posing drunk or nude, just stupid. Like the DUI guy who put $100 of booze on his credit card the same day, as the DUI an the accident, just dumb, dont put booze on your creidt card either………..