>>>>>>"hunter" "assault rifle" you can see the problem there can't you.
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>>>>Agreed- certainly you don't need a semi automatic weapon to hunt deer. However, when the NZ military modernized its weaponry some years back, the exiting firearms that fired easily available cheap NATO ammo, were released onto the market with automatic fire disabled. There are plenty of these semi automatic weapons around with reversion to automatic fire possible via a simple pin modification. I've yet to see one without a suppressor, fwiw. And yet no daily mass shootings. Just like in Switzerland where many households have at least one military assault rifle. As I keep saying, it's not just availability of firearms or suppressors causing the US to have a unique mass shooting issue in the first world.
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>>>>>>Everyone could be legally obliged to have a gun (low income and unemployed would have to be given them) and train to use guns safely and correctly and be obliged to regularly turn out for their trained militia duties.
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>>>>Agreed. You can't possess a hand gun in NZ unless you're a member of a professional pistol shooting club that you attend regularly, competing and undertaking refresher courses. Nutters are spotted early via these means.
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>>>"it's not just availability of firearms or suppressors causing the US to have a unique mass shooting issue in the first world."
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>>> I'd certainly agree with that. Its unfortunate that as I understand it research into the gun problem is largely suppressed in the USA now.
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>>>I do remember years ago being taken by surprise on a Swiss bus near Villars sur Olonne when a man casually got on carrying his assault rifle.
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>>Here in the Périgord noir it's hunting country so about every household has one or more hunting rifles and yet gun related crime is quite uncommon. Must be something in the genes i guess.
>
>The hunting can have other consequences. My brother was down in Southern France a couple of weeks ago when someone shot and wounded a boar near his campsite. The wounded boar came careering into the campsite charging at people and he pulled hamstring fending it off. He was not happy.

Oh hunting accidents do happen but that's not gun related crime. I do stay out of the woods this time of year.