Australian Swimmers' Gun Photo Lands Duo in Hot Water

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bjld

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You may have seen this story - here's a link to it from Guns & Ammo:

http://www.gunsandammo.com/2012/06/12/australian-swimmers-gun-photo-land-duo-in-hot-water/

The Australian media's reaction to a picture posted on Facebook of two Olympic swimmers holding firearms is simply ridiculous. I felt compelled to comment:

"I'm a gun loving Australian. There's plenty of us, but we tend to keep a low profile to avoid the attention of our media. As they say "the pen is mightier than the sword", and what better example than the hyperbole written about Nick D'Arcy? The part of the story you probably haven't heard is that a few years ago while drunk and in a bar D'Arcy was convicted of the violent assault of another member of the team that required reconstructive surgery of the victim's face. D'Arcy was convicted but escaped jail time and was subsequently sued by the victim, although he declared himself bankrupt to avoid paying damages. He may then have gone on to study to be a surgeon like his father, I'm not sure, but all the other details are correct. He hasn't exactly paid for his crime, but I'm sure he's really sorry. For himself.

The media in Australia declared the photo insensitive since Martin Bryant had a pump action shotgun when he killed over 30 people at Port Arthur in Tasmania. And I thought Bryant did most of the killing with an AR15? At least Bryant is going to die of old age in prison if the other prisoners don't get hold of him first. I'll never forget the story of a mother begging for her two young daughters' lives before he executed all three during part of his rampage. The widowed father subsequently started a charity to protect children from violence, may that give him some peace.

Don't get me wrong, the fuss the media have made in Australia about this photo is all out of proportion, but I sure hope the laws here would prevent this guy from ever getting a firearms license. He can't hold his liquor and beats a team mate's face to pulp over a trivial perceived offence? How did he get a visa to visit the US for God's sake? And there's children too young for school mistakenly on the no fly list? Old women in wheelchairs searched invasively? Something is wrong with US homeland security alright.

I'll be watching as much of the swimming at the Olympics as I ever have. None at all.

Ben in Australia"
 
I agree

I live in Oz also. I don't believe any one with a criminal record of any sort should represent Australia in any fashion either. And your right I don't know how this idiot got past US security and allowed to handle a firearm either. A friend of my brothers who lives in NY state had a DUI conviction. As a result of that couldn't get a visa to visit in NZ or Oz. So which ever security agency in the US let this one slip through needs a rap over the knuckles.
Andy.
 
Its a photo of a couple of healthy lads in their mid 20's having a bit of fun at a gun range. Big deal! Its not a crime. They won't be the first and they sure as hell won't be the last. So they posted it on Facebook. I thought that was what the site was for. To share you fun times with friends and others.

So D'Arcy's not whiter than white. Who hasn't got into a scrap in a bar when they were younger? Testosterone and alcohol have a way of fueling minor disagreements. As for the being sued and going bankrupt. I'm sure he acted upon professional legal advice. Thats what happens now that we are swamped by ambulance chasing lawyers.

I hope they both enjoy their time at the next Olympics and I would tell the stuufed shirts at the AOC to take a hike. Its not as if they will be swimming for their country again.
 
No, he's an unsavoury sod who king hit somebody, was lucky to get off being jailed for assault, then went bankrupt rather than pay his dues. That's what the story is all about, that and his unwillingness to pay for his actions: http://www.grubsheet.com.au/?p=1661

The other lovely lad injured himself falling off a skateboard, then claimed a hit & run accident.
 
John Kielly said:
No, he's an unsavoury sod who king hit somebody, was lucky to get off being jailed for assault, then went bankrupt rather than pay his dues. That's what the story is all about, that and his unwillingness to pay for his actions: http://www.grubsheet.com.au/?p=1661

The other lovely lad injured himself falling off a skateboard, then claimed a hit & run accident.
Click to expand...

So he decked another swimmer broke, his nose and knocked and tooth out when in a bar drinking. It happens. I'm sure he was fined by the court after pleading guilty. Which by my book puts him down as paying his dues. That the ambulance chasing lawyers then got involved is of no surprise. They can smell money from 20 miles away. The fact that the lad was then advised to switch the cards on the money grabbers and ruined their pay day gives me cause for a rye smile.

According to your link, your AOC had already done the deal to send him to the 2012 Olympics back in 2008. Now they want to act like an aged head mistress. Please!

So the other lad broke his elbow falling off a skateboard and tried to cover it up. A lack of judgement on both counts. Doesn't make him a bad kid. Dumb may be!

The modern olympics have been full of young men and women who have made poor judgement calls at some time in their sporting careers. Ben Johnson, Dwight Chambers etc.
 
I wouldn't have called Ben Johnson's use of anabolic steroids anything other than deliberate cheating. As for D'Arcy(hole) beating a team mate's face to pulp for no good reason? Calling it unsportsmanlike does unsportsmen injustice.

None the less, what the Australian Olympic Committee and the Australian media have made out of D'Arcy holding a couple of pistols is ridiculous. If they had acted properly he wouldn't have been there in the first place anyway. How did a violent thug get into the US in the second place?

All this just so he can get a medal in freaking butterfly? For Australia? No, for himself. I hope he trips over and stubs his face after the medal ceremony. Those wet tiles can be slippery...

Regards
Ben
 
He hardly beat his team mates face to pulp. A rather OTT claim. He broke his nose and knocked a tooth out. Similar injuries occur every season in Aussie rules football or rugby. You don't get the media, and the local lynch mob baying for retibution as and when that happens. I made no mention of unsportsmanlike behaviour, just poor judgement. 2 rather different things. Sometimes interrelated, sometime not.

I agree it is rediculous. His conviction was back in 2008 and he went as part of the Australian swim team which would explain his easy of travel to the USA. Whilst he's no innocent, he's no violent thug either IMO.

Of course he wins a medal for himself, he's there competing as part of the Australian team. But only he swims the race. Unless its the relay of course.Every sportsman competes for themselves first and their team/nation second.

If he wins any medals I am sure he'll be thumbing his nose at his critics at every opportunity that passes. I'm sure everyone would do the same.
 
I'd just rather not have a guy who beat a team mate so badly that he needed metal plates inserted into his face and then prosthetic teeth fitted to his healed bones to represent my country as a sportsman held up to the so called highest Olympic ideals.

It's nothing to do with the photo of him with a couple of pistols. Nothing at all. This is the point so many seemingly can not grasp.

D'Arcy(hole) was drunk and he beat a mate to a pulp for no good reason. It was not the act of an immature youngster, it was the act of a spoiled, vain thug. Not what my country represents. Australians may have a reputation as hard drinkers but they are not all vicious bar room fighters. How many men have died from being king hit by drunk idiots in our country? I remember Kim Hughes, a sporting hero in my state, being killed when struck from behind. Did he deserve to die for his smart mouth?? There is no glory in it, only a deep, deep sense of shame for our society.

I subscribed to be notified when posts were added to the Guns and Ammo thread and it's clear that no one outside Australia understood what I was trying to say and that few inside our country did. I felt compelled to post but it's increasingly clear that my motivation was wasted. Have another look at the pictures John K posted and try and imagine any friendly rivalry in the bar that eventful night. None. At. All. What a nasty piece of work D'Arcy must have been...

It's nothing to do with guns. It's about respect for decent folk. Curse the internet trolls and their vitriol. Damn them all.

Enough said.

Ben
 
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Well it sure looks as if you AOC hold a different opinion. Given that the deal to keep him on the team was struck soon after the event. Presumably they have a detailed first hand account of what happened, rather than relying upon sensationally worded tabloid media coverage.
Whatever the reasons behind the altercation, I'm sure at least 1 of those involve didn't consider them of "no good reason" at the time. I doubt that D'Arcy is spoilt, vain,or a thug. Like I said put young men in a bar, add alcohol, and provocation however slight and your inevitably going to have some form of confrontation. It happens ever friday night, and has done since the day the first pub opened for business. Being all goody two shoes about it will never alter that.

I believe that there are many who understand what you are trying to say. They either don't care, hold differing views or just think the whole sorry thing has been blown out of proportion. Hence the lack of input and support.

I sense D'Arcy's stiffing the lawyers out of their pay day contributes to your dislike.
 
WOW...some of you guys in OZ are sure uptight. No wonder OZ has the firearm restrictions it has.

OH...an imagine a teenager telling a lie about what happened...that's never happened...And a fight in a bar that ended with a broken nose and a tooth missing....better hang him from the nearest pole....how dare he.

If the boys come to america again...I'll show them some hospitality...we'll start by shooting some pistols, then rifles, then the cannon, then we'll blow something up, then we'll drink and maybe roll around on the ground if they want...heck...they'll forget all about that silly olympic swimming thing.

Hovis
 
HovisKM said:
OH...an imagine a teenager telling a lie about what happened...that's never happened...And a fight in a bar that ended with a broken nose and a tooth missing....better hang him from the nearest pole....how dare he.
Click to expand...

Hovis

I guess its easy for some folks to get bent outta shape and loose what little real life perspective they might have on some events. I for one give the lad his dues he sure stiffed those high priced claims lawyers. I don't care if he wins a medal just that makes him a winner in my estimation.
 
After listening to the various comments I dont seem to find what might actually be the cause behind all the ruckus, not that I agree with it but.
It could that its the actual gangasta style pose and not the guns that set the whole thing in motion?
 
Vern said:
After listening to the various comments I dont seem to find what might actually be the cause behind all the ruckus, not that I agree with it but.
It could that its the actual gangasta style pose and not the guns that set the whole thing in motion?
Click to expand...

Vern

I think its that some people have certain agendas. The old "well if we can't get them one way ,we'll get them another" power play.
 
You got it in one Mr Hambone, basically the guy is maggot and should have never been allowed in the Australian Team again after punching out a Team Mate really badly just before the last Olympics, imagine if u went to say a PSL Match or World Shooting Champs and decided to knock sensless one of your own team or clubmates for pretty much no reason, do you think you would be allowed back ? When Aussies win gold @ The Olympics many of us get goose bumps or tears if this guy does it many will turn around.
 
Hello Bill

I have no way of telling whether D'Arcy is as you described or not. I doubt if any of those who don't know him personally can. Although I'm sure his former team mate whom he punched out and his team of lawyers might have something to say on that. As you would expect! What constitues "no reason" depends entirely upon your POV. Having spent a considerable amount of time around journo's I have learnt not to form opinions on such matters based upon what gets reported.

I'm sure a few "offended" Aussies will turn around. Just as I'm sure a few "couldn't give a damn" Aussie will be cheering the guy home. After all it was 4 years ago these punches were thrown.
 
Yes you are correct to a point but i can pretty much guarantee a poll down here would be around 75% in favour of my opinion, this really has nothing to do with the photo posing with guns as you correctly mentioned in your post #14.
 
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Hello Bill

Public opinion as we all know can be manipulated. Give a subject enough adverse publicity and then run your poll gets you your negative vote. Give a subject enough positive publicity gets you your positive vote. Politicians have been doing it for years. Its called Spin!

I'm sure the photo has very little to do with it. Its the bullsh*t, sorry, copy that gets written around the photo that gets people talking. I'm certain there are very very few who could step up and cast the first stone.
 
It's not about guns at all. It's partly D'Arcy's perceived arrogant gangsta pose, but it's not the pistols in his hands. I'll have one last go at putting this in the Australian perspective, or at least the perspective of 75% of us, as Bill C correctly stated. It's long, but I hope it's worth the read.

There's barely more than 20 million people here, but our country wins more Olympic medals per head of population than any other country in the world (statistical anomalies aside). To do that we spend more taxpayers' money per head of population than any other country in the world. That's our money. My money. You better believe it, Australians are generally nuts about sport. The government spends a LOT of money on it - we're happy, we work harder, we pay more tax.

The birth of Australia as a country is generally regarded as 1915 when our former colonial masters sent our troops to Turkey to be massacred at Gallipoli. Australians go there every year on 25 April to shed tears of remembrance. Our Prime Ministers go there and cry on TV. Australia lost more lives per head of population in that war than any other country in the world. More than any country in Europe, more than the US. The doughboys did a fine job, but we were there longer and very few families were left without an empty chair at the dinner table. There are very clear parallels between sporting sacrifice and the sacrifice of war in Australian culture. There is a monument to the fallen in the Great Wars and a Rifle Range Road in every single town in this country. Believe it or not our Government once believed that marksmanship promoted good citizenship. At 11 am on November 11th this country stops for a minute every year to remember Armistice Day when WWI finished. No one in the laboratory I run works, nobody talks. My father cries every time he hears a bugle.

Olympic champions are heroes in this country. Winning gold sets you up for life selling freakin' muesli bars on TV. But there's a moral standard that means you should be more holy than Mother Teresa. One of our former champion swimmers recently had photos of the damage he caused to his home in an alcohol fuelled domestic dispute with his wife in front of his two very young children splashed across the media. At least there are no allegations of violence, but our Olympic heroes are not supposed to do this if they get a generous income from living in the public eye.

Think of it this way - you went to a BR match, enjoyed the competition and then went out for a drink afterwards. Then one of the competitors beat one of the others requiring hospitalisation and reconstructive surgery. Lawyers aside, when criminally prosecuted the state appointed judge stated it was a violent and unprovoked attack and recorded a conviction for a serious assault causing grievous injury. That judge doesn't chase ambulances for a living. Similarly, in the civil case, a second judge awarded significant damages for the same reasons. Media schmedia. D'Arcy spent no time in prison and paid no damages. Now he's off to the Olympics and hamming it up like a freakin' gangsta. With Australian taxpayer dollars. May he slip and stub his face on the way to the podium.

That guy turns up at the next match. Do you say "hey, just a young guy full of booze. It could have been me, but what's a beating between friends?" But it's not a BR match, it's billions of Aussie taxpayer dollars supporting athletes at the Olympics. And if they win they usually have a guaranteed income for life for their efforts (unless it's a shooting sport, but honestly guns have nothing to do with this particular story).

The anonymous nature of the internet sure makes it easy for people to post glib comments. Have at it if you don't appreciate what I've written.

Regards
Ben

PS sure was a long post - I hope it means something to someone.
 
Ben.....

Howdy Ben,
That was an excellent, well thought out, and well written post. Thank you for having said it. I understood what you were saying all along, but this merely added more background to it. Ironically enough, had the young man who had received the beating, retaliated at a later date and returned the beating, with or without interest and with or without alcohol, he would have probably been sent to jail, sued and collected on, thrown off the team, and been a national disgrace.

We live in a weird world.

Take care,

Greg
 
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