SEFTON and Chester Hill are officially the gun capitals of Sydney, with one registered firearm for every 3.8 residents according to the latest police data.

According to figures obtained by the NSW Greens under a Freedom of Information request, the Canterbury Bankstown area has 6818 registered gun owners who own 23,712 firearms.

The suburbs of Chester Hill and Sefton alone have the second highest number of guns in Sydney, with 4505 guns registered to 283 people.

The Sydney suburb with the most guns is in neighbouring Liverpool, which has 4689 registered firearms held by 1732 people.

media_camera Greens upper house MP David Shoebridge. media_camera Police Minister Troy Grant.

The Sporting Shooters Association of Australia has about 32,000 members in Sydney, up from about 28,000 in 2013.

The association’s Sydney executive officer Pamela Reeves put the increase down to the growing population and “a greater public awareness you can enjoy the challenging sport of shooting, from 80 years to 18 years … it brings families together”.

Greens upper house MP David Shoebridge said residents would be “quite rightly shocked” by the findings.

“Of course there are genuine reasons to own a gun if you are a farmer or primary producer in a regional area, but this doesn’t explain 4500 firearms in the middle of Sydney,” Mr Shoebridge said.

He said there was a “loophole” in firearm laws that allowed people to own multiple guns by being a member of a gun or hunting club.

media_camera The Sporting Shooters Association of Australia says the increase in gun owners is because more people taking part in sports involving guns.

“This lack of integrity in our firearms laws, together with more and more exposure to the violent gun culture from US media, has driven the surge in gun numbers,” he said.

But Police Minister Troy Grant said registered firearms were subject to strict regulations with the owners having to undergo criminal and suitability checks.

Owners are also required to have a separate permit for each firearm they own and required to have a genuine reason for owning the gun.

MORE GUN OWNERS ON THE NORTH SHORE

media_camera There are 4505 registered firearms in Chester Hill/Sefton — the second highest postcode in Sydney behind Liverpool.

“Police conduct regular check to ensure compliance with firearm ownership conditions,” Mr Grant said.

“The real concern is illegal firearms which, in the hands of brazen and hardened criminals, are a clear and present danger to our community and police continue to target this illegal activity.

GUN FIGURES

■ There are 6816 firearm licence holders in Canterbury-Bankstown

■ There were 5068 registered gun owners in Canterbury-Bankstown in 2010

■ The total number of registered firearms in Canterbury-Bankstown is 23,712

■ Chester Hill/Sefton was the second highest postcode in Sydney with 4505 guns

■ The total number of registered firearms in NSW is 850,636