First off, we don't do politics here, and if the discussion goes there, it ends.
To answer how a very restrictive system (such as Australia) is different from out and out confiscation, its simple.
Out and out confiscation, they take all the guns, in a restrictive system some people are allowed to retain ownership of SOME guns.
The Anti-gun side believes that as long as we are allowed to posses some kind of firearm, (one only, single shot preferred is what they SAY they would accept) as long as we can own something, then they feel our rights are not violated.
When it comes to which candidate to put your faith and your vote on, ignore what they SAY, and look at what they have DONE.
If a candidate has previous government service, look at what they DID, NOT what they say, and especially not what they say they did. I think its a fairly sure bet that they will continue to do what they did. If that's acceptable to you, vote for them.
If they don't have a record of public service, then its a gamble. Just remember that the devil you know is not ALWAYS the lesser of two evils.