MaxE wrote:
Some Americans believe Australia is a fascist dictatorship because the government there does nothing to protect gun rights. I am curious how many Australians agree with that.
I think it comes back to a difference in the founding of the countries:
America was founded through free citizens taking up arms, as well as through gradual expansions outward where the citizens required a method to protect themselves. As such, firearms were a necessary item at that time, and so a "right" to have them would have been an expectation.
Australia, on the other hand, was founded as a series of colonies who achieved self-rule through peaceful means, and united into the Commonwealth of Australia. At that time, whilst "common" amongst those in the country (farms and the like), they were not a common\required item amongst the majority of the population (who lived in the towns\cities), so no "right" to have them was seen\felt by the general population at that time. A need by certain people to hold them was recognised, though, hence the availability (though restricted) for their acquisition by the population.
Additionally, the United States came about before the "invention" of policing (at least in the current form), whereas Australia's colonies formed at or around the time that modern policing was becoming common, so instead of personal "protection", for the most part the government was taking care of this, either through the various police forces, or the resident troops.
Given this background, it is easier for restrictions to be added, given most citizens here (past and present) have never seen a personal need to have firearms, and those limited areas\sections of the population which may need them generally have specific reasons for them, so limiting them to the specific needs (and what is acceptable for this) isn't that hard, nor seen as an imposition by the majority of the population.