Theos-Talk Archives (May 1996 Message tl00918)

At 08:30 PM 5/15/96 -0400, you wrote:
>This article just came on my news article and I was so sad that they will
>spend so much money on the wrong end of the cliff. Just think what it would
>do if spent to help the psychologically impaired back to health and then
>these people wouldn't go berserk in the comunity. Sounds like a political
>ploy to me and another example of resource wastage. $400 million would treat
>a lot of disturbed people who would not then be desperate enough to resort to
>guns.
>
> Australian Prime Minister John Howard announced 1 year increase in
>  national health insurance tax to help pay for gun buy-back.
>    - unprecedented national gun crackdown prompted by Port Arthur
>      massacre.
>    - $400 million buy-back program will cost average wage earner
>      $1.12 a week for one year.
>
>
>
>
>   Bee Brown
>   Member TSNZ,Wanganui Branch.
>   Theos Int & L
>
>
>Bee: It's important not to forget that not all those who go "berserk with a
gun" have long recors of mental instability like the guy in Tasmania, Many
Beserkers have no indication at all of instability. The Gun Buy back is a
great idea and I wish we'd do something like it here in the USA. But I think
the monies to pay for it would be better taken out of the military budget.
They could jus write it off as "buying guns for the troops". What I want to
see is the money from entire military budgets used for social purposes..but
I won't "hold my breath".

alexis