An Australian politician has come up with a bizarre idea to ensure the country would be able to defend itself if it was suddenly faced with military aggression from a foreign nation.
Queensland MP Bob Katter wants to give every 13-year-old in Australia a weapon and have them learn how to use it.
He reckons this mini-militia would prove vital in the event of war because it would mean we would be able to fight back more effectively against enemy soldiers.
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Speaking to Sky News Australia, Mr Katter explained how tensions between Australia and China prove we need to beef up our military prowess in unique ways.
“How are you going to defend this country? You’ve got no fuel, you’ve got no petrol, you’ve got no missiles, you’ve got no army," the MP said.
“They would be 13 and they would be trained to use that rifle...That was the way it was when I went to school as a kid, at 12 I was handed a giant .303 rifle as big as I was.”
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He added that kids could use the firing ranges that are dotted around the country to ensure they're a good shot.
“There is a firing range right in the centre of Sydney actually...it would be working 24 hours a day every day of the year,” he said.
Despite the fact that there are loads of problems with this idea, Bob Katter reckons it would turn Aussie teens into a formidable force that could hold off big armies.
“Look at the aggression of China in the south Pacific; Do they want a little island in the south pacific? They want the treasure trove which is Australia,” he explained on Sky News Australia.
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“Look at the Ukraine, how is a little tiny country holding at bay… one of the two greatest armies on earth.
“How are they doing that? because everyone has a gun.
“If you have five million rifles in Australia, and if [you have] people knowing how to use them … then you have to have a hundred million man army to invade Australia, and hold it.”
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Yep - never mind the laws that would need to be overhauled to give kids weapons, or the ethical minefield involved in signing up 13-year-olds to a potential war if we get invaded.
Why wouldn't it be 18-year-olds? Why not our police force, who are already trained in firearms? There are too many questions.
Hopefully, this plan never has to be enacted.
Topics: Australia
Stewart Perrie