- Survive your conscious (did you make the right decision?)
Yes, that is true, but some of those are hard or impossible situations to correctly take in a pressure moment. It is also very hard to judge if you are not familiar with the circumstances, laws, that a relevant. And it can be a paper thin difference between innocent and guilty. It might even take 10+ years for teams of experts to answer it.
Australia has a very low crime rate, and gun crime is impossibly low. So Australia's stance on self protection with a gun by civilians makes perfect sense. Police and security guards carry guns here, and you can apply to the state Police commissioner if you feel it is required, but it at that level and that rare such things would be considered. Your situation is so special that the head of the police and probably a minister in the government are aware.
Nowhere near as bad as all the bans here in New Zealand ... it was a unthought through law...
They did draft it very quickly. I don't see that as a particularly positive outcome. For Australia it was a very extensive process, and a huge amount of considerations, and it was focused on long term good. In the end while you won't make everyone happy, the facts speak for themselves. IMO I don't think they have fully assess the risks and concerns, which is how NZ ended up in this case in the first place. Missed opportunity to do a lot of good.
I have to admit Australia’s ban on semi-auto and pump action shotguns is rather extreme IMO as these guns are valuable to bird hunters and are allowed in Canada as are semi-auto rifles. Losing the latter type (large calbre) to a ban wouldn’t bother me much.
You would be surprised how things have adapted and a new medium found. Large calibres are still legal here (.50 BMG or greater), but are very specific that the entire list of owners and addresses of such weapons nationally would easily fit on one A4 peice of paper. Its so small that people in this strata make it so there are no incidents related to these types of weapons to draw attention to them.
Lever actions are quite popular here and IMO take more skill to use. Professional hunters can still access semi automatic weapons. But you are talking about people who kill hundreds of thousands of camels from helicopter type hunters that make a hundred kills a day every day.
No one here wants things to go back to how they used to be. Also there is significant inertia to changing things unless there is a very strong argument, data and facts around the issue. Some things do need to change, and that is hard. Sydney had a big problem with one punch kills, so there was a some rash legislation/action on that. But with guns there is huge inertia, states would have to agree, you open up the can of 'what ever you do isn't enough anyway' costs go through the roof, it can split party support bases city/country etc.
Australia has more guns now than before the bans.
Australia has more guns than before Port Arthur massacre, research shows
There is the occasional issue, but often media beat up is to blame.
https://ssaavic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Adler-facts.pdf
In Australia the chance that you are going to be shot is basically zero. If you are shot, it is likely you are the one who pulled the trigger and you have shot yourself. You are better off carrying a snake bite kit than a gun for protection and you are safer without a gun than with one (less accidental shootings). Most of Australia you are effectively not allowed to carry a knife (without proper cause and self defence isn't a proper cause) so again, really the biggest "personal safety" issue around getting punched in the head, losing consciousness and your head hitting the pavement.
You can own swords. I have a lovely collection of hand made reproduction swords. But again, not for protection (a giant scottish Claymore isn't really practical for that, but would have deterrent capability). You can go fishing with a 12 inch bowie knife, no problems, but obviously walking around the city that would be inappropriate.
Also note South Africa isn't on that chart.
In regards to murder and crime rate:
Yes, South Africa is pretty bad, but not the worst. The whole of the America's shares the US's affinity for gun ownership. But (visibly) arming myself would be the last of the precautions I would take. Ideally I would have someone else armed and being the first target, while clear that I am not an easy target and there is multiple ways of doing that. Great force tends to attract equal response.
When I travel to higher risk countries, there are many things you can do to improve your safety and security, and arming yourself is pretty much the very last and most desperate of those measures. Ideally like all risks, personal protective equipment is your last resort, you put all other measures in place before it you would want to rely on that. Also PPE often makes people take higher risks, as can happen with firearm carries. The firearm is a risk itself. Also engage, when they could more safely withdraw. To use option A instead of looking for option B. When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Being armed also makes you rank way higher on other peoples threat list.
But again, I say that as a temporary visitor.
That said, I am a reasonable shot across a variety of calibers and types. Whenever I travel with armed security, I very subtly take note of what they are carrying, where, left or right handed, condition, status, wear, setup, cover, exits and alternatives etc. No reason to be ignorant or lazy. Good to know the limitations. Situations can change. Opportunities may require a change in status or tactic. Trust can be broken. You want good decisions being made, not mistakes.
