Should Firearm/Weapons Deals Be Disallowed?

Ozbargain tries to be a family friendly community/site. I know there are many deals which sometimes cross the boundary. (e.g. alcohol)
But i think the wider community consensus (not ozbargain but australia) is that firearms should be restricted. I don't think ozbargain should be promoting firearms

I know smoking advertising is restricted so there are no cigarette deals but if ozbargain started having such deals I would probably leave and troll elsewhere. The gun deals do me make consider this?

Just wondering what the community feeling about these gun deals are?

IMO. Gun deals will eventually cause negative public attention for ozbargain. So if I was the site owner I would disallow gun deals.

EDIT: grammar (see comments lol)

Mod (27/5/18): Due to a multitude of comments, reports and attacks, as well as feedback in this poll and in other deals, firearm deals are no longer permitted to be posted. Comment

Poll Options

  • 881
    Gun deals should be banned
  • 711
    Gun deals should be allowed

Comments

  • +4

    Op: do some research. Gun ownership is a way of life for many people. Farmers use them for pest control and keeping populations in check. Everyone that carries on about duck hunting, guess what, some of that rice your eating, comes from local rice farms. An over population of ducks would mean no rice for anyone. Guns arent around just for people to go postal with.

  • +3

    Guns are commodities, and often pricey. On that criteria alone they should remain.
    They don't interest me personally, so I filter them.

  • I think that gun advertising (seeing that you are able to purchase guns) will lead to more gun purchases, which is a bad thing.

    If you don't need a gun for your farm work, or your (shooting range) sport, then what are you trying to kill?

  • +1

    Didn't realize that smoke deals weren't allowed. But that being said, you cannot purchase a firearm without a license (legally) and those deals will only be an option for those people. I think smoking is a waste of time and money, but I also don't feel they should be banned here, unlike firearms, they can only be legally purchased by those 18+

  • +5

    I thought this was OzBargain not MormonBargain.

    • +1

      I don't think Joseph Smith is on ozbargain either.

  • +1

    I'm looking for a guaranteed 8x scope location, and also a Kar98k in close proximity - will pay well :)

    • +1

      PUBG life

  • +12

    I may be a simple minded legal gun owner, but I fail to understand exactly what your issue with gun deals being posted is.

    Apart from the usual closed minded scare campaigns that guns are bad I just don't see any basis for your objection. Registered firearms very very rarely account for any of the violent crimes you're afraid of

    • Precisely. There is nothing to fear from registered gun owners (whether for farming, hunting or hobby shooting) as they are responsible people (I know many). A gun hobby is no different than any other, it just requires regulation to insure idiots dont use them to kill people.

  • +11

    "Ozbargain tries to be a family friendly community/site. I know there are many deals which sometimes cross the boundary. (e.g. alcohol)"

    What?

    So all the families who do sports shooting, competition shooting, or pest control together aren't really families in your eyes?

    So the communities, clubs, groups, etc. who participate aren't family friendly in your eyes?

    So families who drink alcohol aren't really families?

    What the hell? Seriously?

    I know a couple of families who do competitive pistol shooting together, father and son. My entire extended family all like alcohol in some form or another. What is wrong with that? And what is wrong with bargains being posted on ozbargain? Australia has some of the most sensible laws in the world with regard to the above two topics.

    Since when were these ridiculous, ignorant, and puritanical attitudes back in vogue?

    • +4

      Since when were these ridiculous, ignorant, and puritanical attitudes back in vogue?

      In the West, it's super trendy to be oppressed.
      If you're not part of an oppressed group, you can win trendy points for being morally outraged at just about anything.

      • I feel oppressed because I have a Firearms License. How liberating!

  • +3

    tries to be a family friendly community/site. I know there are many deals which sometimes cross the boundary. (e.g. alcohol)

    How do alcohol deals "cross the boundary"?

    Some (or probably, most) of us can enjoy alcohol in moderation. How is it different to walking down the street and seeing huge advertisements on the windows of the liquor shops? If it's really a problem, there's functions on the site to filter out the deals you don't want.

    Why do you feel the need to ban about deals related to firearms? I believe that, if anything, firearms deals may not be very popular here due to the lack of one's ability to legally acquire them rather than general negative opinion. It is a very limited market for the small number of people that have a licence to buy and retain a firearm.

    The idea of a ban should only be raised as a very last resort in extreme circumstances - Not simply because you don't like something or you think you'll never have the need for it. There are other people who may have legitimate uses for particular items.

    I know smoking advertising is restricted so there are no cigerette deals but if ozbargain started having such deals I would probably leave and troll else where. The gun deals do make consider this?

    How old are you? If you can't handle something like this, good luck in life.

    By the way, about 90% of users on this site have an unhealthy addiction to Eneloops! Are you planning on calling for a ban?

  • +6

    I really don't understand this post. I think some people view guns in a certain way and see them as bad which I don't understand. Personally, I see them as tools or objects used for a hobby. They can be used or misused, just like a car.

    For me, guns are like cars. People love their cars, certain people like to tinker with them and get more performance out of them. It's hobby for them, something they get a lot of enjoyment out of and can socialise around. There are laws, licensing, restrictions around the use and ownership of cars. Cars can be used for legitimate purposes, for motorsports, etc., but they can also be used for crime or can otherwise be used recklessly and dangerously. Cars can be used to kill people, either accidentally or on purpose, as we unfortunately saw with the Bourke St massacre.

    I see guns in a similar way: people use them for target shooting at the range, hunting, they like to tinker with them, understand how one rifle and ammunition type performs differently to another, etc. Farmers need them for pest control. It's a hobby, it brings people together, gets them outside, socialising. And then there's the sporting aspect, competitive shooting. There are lots of competitions that even beginners can partake in, and some of the shooting sports are in the Olympics. There's also quite a lot of laws, regulations and licensing around the ownership and use of guns. In fact, if you misuse your gun, depending on what you've done, you might have your firearms licence revoked and your firearms subsequently destroyed.

    This idea that guns are somehow inherently evil, to me, is insane. When people use cars as weapons or for crime (eg ramming through a shop window), we don't hear people claiming that we should ban all cars. I think that the laws around legitimate uses of motor vehicles communicate how they should be used, and the same applies to firearms. Rifles/shotguns can only be used in certain designated areas for sporting or hunting purposes, and handguns can only be used in ranges for sporting/competitive purposes.

  • +5

    I actually don't think it's legal for OzBargain to be advertising firearms:

    "Only licensed firearm dealers may advertise the sale of a firearm."
    Source: http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=34476

    Similar rationale prevents OzBargain posting flu vacs

    • "Only licensed firearm dealers may advertise the sale of a firearm."

      I don't think that itself stops an Ozbargain member who is also a firearms dealer from putting up a deal though.

      There's also a whole range of accessories that can be advertised.

      • +2

        Good point. I didn't notice the dealers license number at the bottom of the post. It reads like it was written by a random enthusiast, rather than someone trying to make sales.

    • OzBargain isn't located in Victoria.

  • +4

    Guns and alcohol are OK, but devices to get people to stop smoking (e-cig deals) and adult toys are banned.

    Maybe there should be an opt-in area for members who don't want to be morally policed. Everyone would be happy that way. I'd totally opt-in.

    • I think this is a fantastic idea.
      An opt in check box on registration.

    • +1

      I don't think it should be opt in. It should be "opt out". I don't want anyone deciding for me, as a default, what is "taboo".
      I support the idea of being able to set, at an account level, the types of deals you want to see in searches, etc. Kind of like a global filter.

      I personally don't actually want to see alcohol deals, but I am interested in firearm related deals. So I wouldn't want something which opts me in (or out) for all of the "taboo" things at once. I'd want fine-grained control. Ie opt out for alcohol, opt in for firearms.

  • I am happy to see the gun deals, but it may be a good idea to classify certain deals as adult: guns, alcohol, smoking, religious stuff, adult toys. We could opt in for adult listings.

    I would rather see deals on hunting stuff/guns than the other stuff, as guns etc are highly regulated and available only from a limited number of authorised suppliers. So we know that both the product and seller are tightly controlled. The rest of that stuff in my list may well be illegal, of poor quality and from dodgy sellers but we get a lot of that crap advertised here as well.

    I have bought knives and axes through deals advertised here as I have legitimate uses for them (farm). I hope it remains open to me, whether generally or as an opt in.

    • +1

      I think the issue is the ninnies want to prevent others seeing the deals rather than objecting to seeing the ads themselves.

  • The problem with gun deals is the vast majority of OzBargain members can't take advantage of them. Need a gun license. The OP's comparison to alcohol sales is partially relevant, and many would say alcohol has a devastating effect on some people so should be banned too. But alcohol does not require a license to purchase and is only age limited.

    • +3

      So what about those of us who can take advantage of them? As law abiding citizens, should we be excluded from sharing and taking up deals on items we can legitimately purchase just because some people have a moral objection to their sale?

      If people are so scared of guns, their issue should be with the government allowing us such lax laws (oh the outrage!) - not with OzBargain community sharing the deals.

      • "So what about those of us who can take advantage of them?"

        I don't have a moral objection to guns, but I do acknowledge such deals would be limited to a very small number of people in Australia.

        http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/australia

        CompareRate of Licensed Firearm Owners per 100 Population
        ChartThe rate of licensed firearm owners per 100 people in Australia is: 2016: 3.55

        3.5% of Australians can take advantage of an offer on OzBargain. That's small enough to make such bargains more appropriate for a gun ownership forum where up to 100% of participants would be interested.

    • +2

      So we should ban/delete calls that aren't popular enough? There doesn't have to be a "need" for a deal type in order for it to be posted. There are plenty of deals that have a low number of votes. Should we ban those? By default, everything should be allowed so as not to disadvantage anybody or any particular minority.

      If they truly aren't popular enough, I'm guessing the people posting them will eventually get the message and stop wasting their time.

      But If you read the comments on some of the firearm related deals, there are a decent number of people who seem to be genuinely interested in the deal.

  • +5

    IMO. Gun deals will eventually cause negative public attention for ozbargain

    There has only been one gun deal I recall seeing recently so I think you're making a big deal over nothing; and I don't recall any "negative public attention".

    Similar to the Gay marriage debate, if you don't support same sex marriage - don't marry someone of the same sex. If you don't support gun deals, don't get a gun licence and buy a gun… Just live your life and ignore it and leave it to the people who will benefit.

    • +2

      Exactly. Stop trying to police what is right and wrong and dictate what is a legitimate activity and what is not. We all have different interests so just leave people to do what they want.

  • +6

    Straight to the point, a firearm advertisement (stop calling them guns, my gun is between my legs) will not cause more people to go out and purchase a firearm. To purchase a firearm, you first need a firearms licence, you then need secure storage, signed off on by out law enforcement.
    The process to get yourself a firearms licence, is lengthy and arduous, it requires references from notable people in society, a complete back ground check, and evidence that you have a genuine need for a firearm, be it sporting use, hunting or pest control.

    No amount of advertisements, will cause a general unlicenced member of the public to purchase a firearm. They simply cannot without the above requirements.

    Their are 800,000 licenced firearm owners in Aus, with millions of legal registered firearms. We have every right to view bargains on products we are vetted and licenced to legally purchase.

  • +5

    I think we should ban all meat related product advertising as its offensive to the vegans…

    Petrol automotive products shouldn't be discussed because the Greenies will take offence.

    The amount of PC is getting out of hand. >.>

  • +1

    tldr: Guns scare me because I don't trust myself to have one and by extension everyone else

    But OPs not alone in thinking that way. Considering the minor utility guns present to the userbase Neil might decide to hide it to prevent a negative PR backlash. Then again, he runs this site a bit like a hobby project, so he may decide to keep them on principle. Who knows

    • doesn't scotty run the site.

      • One of the two, I don't keep track

        • scouty was the founder.
          he discovered ozbargain on the internet

  • Australia has quite a few areas with feral dog problems. They are quite discerning eaters, favouring eating live sheep kidneys, leaving the rest of the still living sheep with no kidneys and an open wound on their back. They die several days later from not having kidneys. I wonder what the moral left think is the 100% moral answer, other than humanely shooting feral dogs. Feral cats are also obliterating endangered species in many areas.

  • +2

    I'm really surprised that so many people think gun deals should be banned. Maybe these are all fake accounts? ☺️

    • -1

      sorry haven't had time to answer you promptly. Was busy creating accounts. :P

  • +3

    The guns advertised can legally purchased by individuals who have complied with the laws in their State or Territory. What is the big deal?

  • +1

    I'd love to know the numbers of Ozbargainers actually requiring a gun deal because they use them with any degree of regularity. Can't have a poll though, too many people on both sides trying to skew the debate.

    Tell you one thing I learned from working in a Western Sydney emergency department though - the people who own weapons for criminal activity cannot shoot straight for the life of them (unless point blank) so if you ever get on pointed at you, just run off in a zigzag direction, at worst they'll get you in the leg. I'd be more afraid of a farmer gone postal. Good case not to relax weapon restrictions though, I don't want guns that help people aim good around the traps.

    • +3

      There doesn't have to be a "need" for a deal type in order for it to be posted. By default, everything should be allowed so as not to disadvantage anybody or any particular minority.

      If you read the comments on some of the firearm related deals, there are a decent number of people who seem to be genuinely interested in the deal.

      Personally, I'm interested in deals related to .22 calibre rifles, pistols, ammunition and accessories. My interests lie in target shooting at ranges and competitive sport pistol.

      It really pisses me off when people associate firearms solely with criminal activity. The licensed people buying these firearms from licensed dealers are not the people you have to worry about. We need laws and law enforcement to go after the criminals and their weapons who presumably are not licensed for firearms or are obviously using them illegally, and not to restrict and make the lives of law abiding citizens more difficult.

      • Fair point re deals. I don't associate guns in Australia with criminal activity per se, anymore than I associate morphine with criminal activity and that's probably because of the restrictions we have. I grew up with my grandpa and uncles going duck hunting and ammo all over his house, my best friends Dad was a gun dealer with the full locked metal room setup, and my only other experience has been working in an emergency department. I saw lots of crim injuries, but only very rarely licensed shooter injuries (actually a grand total of one)! Guns shouldn't be in untrained hands, relaxing restrictions will achieve just that. I don't have a huge problem with gun deals on Ozbargain, I just didn't think there'd be too many people on here who were into them.

  • I want refrigerators banned because in the United States more people die from falling refrigerators than…

    • +2

      I think you should ban lightning first

  • +4

    Ozbargain should open an Adult bargains section for guns and other adult stuff!

    • +3

      I actually think this would be a great idea.

      • I too think this is an acceptable compromise between the two parties.
        I think the Adults Section should be automatically hidden first, to protect the younger audience and sensitive people. There could be a switch in the settings to allow this to be toggled on and display the content; be it discount Glocks or Sexy-Dragon-Calenders.

      • +2

        are adult toys allowed on ozbargain?

    • +3

      GUNS AND DILDOS YEAHHHHH! THAT'S MY FAV KIND OF BARGIN BIN!

  • +1

    Sure, car deals should be banned too, more people are killed by car accidents than guns.

    • +1

      Anything that contributes to life should be banned, life leads to death after all.

      • +1

        Ban water. Start with VOSS ; )

  • +10

    I am an adult and I can make all my own decisions, I don't need anymore people trying to control my life. Ozbargain should post anything and everything which is legal.

    Go elsewhere and troll.

  • I don't mind gun deals (even though I personally don't like them) but the issue comes about when/why other stuff like adult items as per rules are banned. They are "perfectly legal" items too.

    (Don't get me wrong I'm not acting all surprised about it; movies/media already show that anything sexual is for whatever reason much much worse than full on overkill gore …)

  • +1

    Can we ban fidget spinner deal???

    Pretty please??

    • +2

      This is a serious topic.
      Please take your fidgety jokes elsewhere.

      • Awww did someone hurt you? You need your safe space?

        • +2

          That's enough spin from you

        • +2

          He's joking. They're puns.

        • +1

          @DisabledUser87799: Seems you turned the tables on him

  • +1

    Big brother is watching, I'm into Barbie dolls and cats

  • +5

    The only deals that should be banned are illegal ones. It shouldn't be up to the mods to guide people's morals. So even though I wouldn't own a gun, I think gun deals should still be allowed.

  • -6

    Cheaper guns means more people are going to buy guns. More people with guns means more gun related violence. Plus, a lot of terrorist and psychopaths are not buying guns because they are not aware of some of the great prices out there.

    Posting low prices for guns may just turn some ordinary person into a psychopath.

    The law allows anyone to buy a gun and it is OzBargain's responsibility to ensure the rights to bear arms does not become a cat ass trophy.

    • +1

      The law allows anyone to buy a gun

      Incorrect

      • It was meant to be ironic and a complete farce of a sentence. I literally butchered common sense and spelling.

        Sigh. It's no fun when you I have to explain it.

        • +2

          common sense was butchered long ago in this thread

        • @tshow

          Not sure why you have -7 negs.
          That last part was clearly sarcastic :\

        • +1

          @Kangal:
          We used to have a fairly witty group here.

          Today… Not so much.

      • +2

        Im sure some people think we live in America.

  • +9

    Ban everything with which you disagree or which personally offends you.

    • i don't think people would be happy if that happens

    • Funnily enough, OP doesn't have a problem with dragon sex calendars.

      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/296504

      • The OP didn't see the Dragon Sex Calendar when it was out.
        But man did that "deal" crack up a lot of people.

  • I find it strange that the OP also wants alcohol deals banned yet he posted an alcohol deal 1 month ago.

    • lol read the post then come back

      • sure
        Gimli "This is not about filtering deals so that you don't see it. Its about ozbargain not promoting the sales of guns"
        airzone "Why not take the same approach to alcohol?"
        Gimli "We really should."

        • lol i meant the deal i posted

        • @Gimli:
          I did read the deal post, not bad price by the way

        • @Hayesy22: if you don't care about your liver

  • There's no real argument for gun deals to be banned…

    • i thought so too.
      but not everyone thinks same

      • Why is your name greyed out?

        • +2

          Gimli is disabled, bring on the firearm deals.

        • +2

          @nocure: Why is he disabled?

        • +7

          @btst7000:
          He opened a can of worms and cut himself on the lid :(

  • +1

    Gun deals should not be banned. Just scroll on past. Guns are already super restricted. But anyone wanting to censor something like this is a grub.

  • +1

    Ozbargain tries to be a family friendly community/site. I know there are many deals which sometimes cross the boundary. (e.g. alcohol)

    Don't forget KFC and Dominoes!

    My shire tried to be family friendly too by approving four major fast food chains and three liquor outlets in a space of ten years to benefit my little community and its independent family run food outlets.

    Back on topic, leave the gun deals. Although we are rapidly looking like the USA, we have "better" (by no means great) gun laws. There are farmers and responsible hobbyists among us.

    • +1

      Yeah, I'd rather have the Australia firearm situation than the US one, but they're still trying to put more and more nonsensical restrictions on firearm ownership. Example is more restrictions on calibres for pistols (used solely for sport shooting obviously), which happened a few years ago, affecting the competitions that people can compete in and also resulted in meant that some international competitions can no longer be held here. Doesn't make sense to me. Further restrictions on top of the already extreme restrictions only affects responsible owners.

  • +4

    NO…its a free country !! I been shot 9 times and still ain't complaining !!

    • Get rich or die trying?

      • +2

        My son asked me could he go to a 50 cent concert. i said sure, here's a dollar, take your sister too.

  • +5

    You sound like a poster boy for the nanny state government. Congratulations. I've been on Ozbargain for 7 years and have not seen one firearm deal. Your username checks out. BTW - anything can be used as a 'weapon' for lethal destruction. Most of the tools at Bunnings can cripple, maim, destroy, etc. What's your point?

  • +1

    What about a inter-dimensional portal gun?

  • +3

    Yes should be allowed.

  • +4

    Looks like the idea of banning gun deals has been shot down..

  • +3

    Maybe ozbargain should have a separate closed section where other members induct you after you have proven you can adult proper.

    Call it the pro room or something, then you can have adult toys in there too..

  • Why not just have the deals listed for over 18 members only? perhaps have a tab/form for dangerous goods? instead of public promotion?

  • +4

    Why is this even a debate? You can't buy guns legally unless you are licensed appropriately, whether people 'need' them or not is a fallacious argument, and irrelevant to OzBargain.

    Gun deals should be allowed like any other deal for a legally purchasable product.

  • +2

    OZBargains is not just for snowflakey PC warriors, it's for everyone. If a deal is legal, then there should be no issue. If you don't like the deal, don't click on the link.

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