http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/29/2176655.htm
Jail for underworld’s gun supplier
Posted Fri Feb 29, 2008 4:01pm AEDTAn Adelaide sex shop owner who sold weapons to Melbourne’s underworld has had his fine overturned and replaced with a three year jail sentence.
Last year 62-year-old William Nash was found guilty of selling at least 15 guns to a man acting on behalf of the now murdered Melbourne gangland boss Mario Condello.
The deals were done in Adelaide in 2003 and 2004 and included sales of semi-automatic rifles, pistols and an Uzi sub-machine gun.
In December Nash was fined $56,000 for gun dealing.
But the Director of Public Prosecutions, Stephen Pallaras, launched an appeal against that sentence saying it was grossly inadequate.
He argued crimes such as the Port Arthur massacre highlighted the community’s views on gun control.
Today the Court of Criminal Appeal removed the fine and sentenced Nash to at least 20 months jail.
Hmmm, a porn dealer illegally sells an illegal weapon to a known criminal…this has what to do with gun control? The sale of an automatic Uzi to a criminal without a license has been illegal since the 1920’s. Funny, the weapons in question were sourced from the Victorian Police arsenal and were sold at public auction. They were re-activated before they were sold to Nash. I’m so shocked that although against the law, the nations criminals continue to get their hands on these guns illegally. Criminals acting criminally, ‘who’d a thunk it?’
For those who remember, Pallaras is the same guy who called for a ban on all guns in South Australia. He argues here that the Port Arthur massacre demonstrated the public’s views on gun control, yet private gun ownership is on the rise and the very guns that were banned after the massacre were the ones involved in this incident. I would think the law change after the massacre was a reflection of an emotional reaction by the public that “something be done” and the zeal of a freshly elected Prime Minister Howard six weeks into office trying to make his mark, but hey. If anything, Port Arthur should have been a wake up call as to the state of government run mental health services in this country, something which seems to be a global shame among western developed countries. I won’t even go into the issue of the lack of some sort public or academic consultation before seizing the lawful property of hundreds of thousands of Australians…responsible government anyone?
Not just a wake up call as to the state of government run mental health services but also a wake up call on gun laws. I maintain that it is appalling that out of all the people there that day, nobody other than the killer was armed.
Gun control was out of hand long before Port Arthur.
You’re definitely right there, he walked around the town plucking people off at will. There certainly would not have been a massacre had Australian gun laws not been so paternalistic.
“I’m so shocked that although against the law, the nations criminals continue to get their hands on these guns illegally.”
So am i Seb.