I read quite a while back that Australia was in the process of outlawing knives over a certain length because people who enjoy fighting with each other were taking to the streets playing "Highlander".
May help to actually ask an Aussie mate....that story is rubbish.....Funny thing is that you Americans all rave on about guns as part of a freedom rant usually but in all seriousness you are less free than most of the western world. We don't have guns but we are definitely free, we do have "nanny" laws here but not having guns makes me feel safer, i have been in many situations that would have been far worse if guns had been present. And about the "constitutional"stuff, it was written 334 years ago and is struggling to be relevant in todays world.....Especially the "right to bare arms" part......Flame away..... 
Mick
I respectfully beg to differ. The US Constitution was written by some of the most brilliant and far thinking people alive at the time. To form a Government that defined the rights of the people vs the government was unheard of and very radical for it;s time. No Royalty, no State Religion, one person one vote, freedom of speech, assembly, self incrimination, etc. It is the US Constitution many others are patterned after, probably your own has most of it in there.
It may be 334 years old and that argument is used by those who would like to subvert it more than it has been. It is still relevant, and it was written in a way that it can be interpreted to fit the times.
I cannot speak about the freedoms in Australia vs the US, I do not live in Australia and I am unsure of what you define as freedom. I did meet a lot if Australians and I suspect I would feel comfortable there, and you would probably feel comfortable here.
The current movement is back to the Constitution and many States are reasserting their rights. People are being voted out of office that advocate big government. People are protesting all this Homeland Security crap and are becoming more unwilling to give up their freedom for some false sense of security. I sense a growing awareness of some erosion of the basic freedoms and in the last election the people reminded their elected officials that they will be held accountable, and it makes the remaining nervous.
It is very difficult for people outside and many inside the US to understand how complex a place it is. It is not one homogeneous place. It is 50 States, and as I said in my other post many laws are different.
I am a Constitutionalist I take the whole document as a complete work. I cannot cherry pick the parts I like and discard the parts I don't. It is a living document and valid as written. It has lasted this long which is a pretty good run. Now have at me, I love to play.
