{"id":1073,"date":"2025-11-22T21:43:31","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T21:43:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cpb.life\/?p=1073"},"modified":"2025-12-16T01:26:03","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T01:26:03","slug":"letter-to-editor-of-the-courier-mail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cpb.life\/index.php\/2025\/11\/22\/letter-to-editor-of-the-courier-mail\/","title":{"rendered":"Letter to Editor of the Courier Mail"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I\u2019m writing in response to the report recommending mandatory mental health assessments for firearm owners post-Wieambilla inquiry. As a retired police officer, I understand loss of a former partner in the line of duty. \u00a0 I feel compelled to share an insight.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Targeting firearm owners without a violent criminal history while ignoring others is discriminatory. Those intent on harm will find alternative methods, regardless of gun restrictions. Mental health evaluations should also apply to operators of other dangerous machinery, like pilots and truck drivers, as demonstrated by the Eastern Freeway truck incident that killed four police officers. <\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, advancements like 3D-printed guns complicate the gun control conversation. Mental health professionals in WA are hesitant to support this legislation because current assessments cannot reliably predict future behaviour.<\/span><\/p>\n

Research shows a link between rising violence against police and increasing authoritarian measures in governments. As authoritarianism grows, violence against officers is likely to increase, leading to more ambushes. Many officers are relocating from Victoria to states with less authoritarian governance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, recognised military experts warn of the potential for major conflict involving Australia. While the risk of invasion is low, the consequences would be severe. As per Major Molan\u2019s book, \u201cDanger on Our Doorstep,\u201d conscription may not be effective in modern warfare. We should implement a National Civil Defence strategy based on the Swiss model, which has protected their country for centuries.<\/span><\/p>\n

Case in point, Why are those from the ballistic sports so important to our national security?\u00a0A prime example is clay pigeon shooting, where the ability to swiftly track and hit fast-moving targets in the sky demands extensive practice. Military forces around the world are now revisiting this sport to train shotgun users in defending against drone attacks. It\u2019s not just soldiers who may be summoned to safeguard a community from drone attacks. Many other examples exist. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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I\u2019m writing in response to the report recommending mandatory mental health assessments for firearm owners post-Wieambilla inquiry. As a retired police officer, I understand loss of a former partner in the line of duty. \u00a0 I feel compelled to share an insight.\u00a0 Targeting firearm owners without a violent criminal history while ignoring others is discriminatory. … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,13,16,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-civil-defence-planning-element","category-civil-disobedience","category-civilians-caught-in-the-middle","category-defence-model"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpb.life\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpb.life\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpb.life\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpb.life\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpb.life\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1073"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/cpb.life\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1073\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1103,"href":"https:\/\/cpb.life\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1073\/revisions\/1103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpb.life\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpb.life\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpb.life\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}