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Gun Crime in Australia Rising

Gun-free Australia continues to be plagued by gun crime. From News.com.au:

THE daylight robbery of a man at gunpoint near a busy train station has renewed fears of a rise in gun crime in Sydney.

[...]

New South Wales Police Commissioner Ken Moroney said more than 40,000 weapons were seized in major crackdowns across the state last year.

Mr Moroney said a major audit and compliance check of all firearms in NSW, combined with the State Government's gun buyback, had seized and destroyed 43,000 weapons.

A number of private security firms had also closed following a police audit of the industry and its weapons, he said.

Premier Bob Carr said the Government was working with police to reduce the number of guns in the community.

When asked if there were too many guns on the streets, Mr Carr replied: "Absolutely".

"If there is one person with malevolent intentions and one gun in his possession, that's one too many," he said.

Opposition leader John Brogden said gun crime was surging in Sydney and the Carr Government was trying to spin its way around the problem.

"Sydney will end up like New York or Los Angeles if we keep going the way we're going," he said.