The Aussies Know That We Are Packing

Out for a morning walk during a recent trip to Australia I struck up a conversation with three 10-year-old boys who were fishing the Patalawonga River near Adelaide.

I asked what they were catching.

“Brim and bass,” they told me.

Recognizing my accent, they asked if I was from the U.S.

“Montana,” I replied.

“Do you have any automatic weapons?” they asked in unison, eagerly awaiting my reply.

“No,” I said, explaining automatic weapons remain off-limits to most Americans.

“Do you have Jolly Ranchers?” was their next question.

I told them yes, we do.

It shouldn’t have surprised me that guns were...