Western Australia's Police Commissioner is calling for tighter regulations affecting gun stores and owners following the "highly organised" theft of 130 handguns from a Perth store.

Key points: Karl O'Callaghan says thresholds affecting gun shops and owners should be lowered

Karl O'Callaghan says thresholds affecting gun shops and owners should be lowered Beckenham firearms shop hit by thieves complied with legal storage requirements

Beckenham firearms shop hit by thieves complied with legal storage requirements More handguns entering black market than ever before, WA Police say

But gun lobby groups have dismissed his comments, saying WA is already the most regulated state in Australia and any further controls would be overkill.

It comes after police revealed 130 handguns including revolvers and semi-automatics were stolen from Barry and Son Firearms in Beckenham on the night of March 11.

The guns are valued at about $5,000 each on the black market, taking the total value of the stolen firearms to $650,000.

The heist involved at least three thieves and lasted more than four hours.

Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said there needed to be changes in the gun compliance system to prevent more firearms entering the black market.

"I don't think our legal compliance thresholds are sufficient in this environment," he said.

The thieves were able to break into a safe room at Barry and Son Firearms to steal the guns. ( Supplied: Facebook )

"The world has changed in the last two years and I think there will be more of this type of problem in the future if we don't have a look at the thresholds.

"I am very worried about it."

Barry and Son Firearms was ruled by police to have complied with its gun storage requirements, but Mr O'Callaghan said the case showed the regulation of firearm shops needed to be strengthened.

"The gun shop is completely compliant and they haven't done anything wrong, but I guess the concern for me is that whether that level of compliance is sufficient," he said.

"We know the offenders got through some corrugated metal on the outside of the building and then cut through the brickwork straight into the room where the guns were.

"The fence is simply a cyclone fence which you can cut through with a pair of pliers. It's not a security fence.

"When you look at the building it seems to me that is not sufficient for those types of guns."

More guns, bigger target: O'Callaghan

Mr O'Callaghan said the number of guns retailers could hold on their premises should be further restricted.

Police have released pictures of some of the stolen handguns in a bid to help find them. ( Supplied: WA Police )

"Why is it necessary to have 130 handguns on a single premises? Surely the market can't be there to sell those overnight," he said.

"The more guns that are in a single place, particularly handguns, the more of a target that place will become."

Some of the guns stolen from Barry and Son Firearms had already been paid for, but were awaiting licensing paperwork so their owners could take them home.

Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (WA) president Ron Bevan defended the store's security.

"Ultimately these guys in that particular shop had some of the best levels of security in Australia and this was, it should not be forgotten, a very, very professional job," he said.

"It's the last thing we need, something like this, it just puts a spotlight on everyone and everything.

"As an association we've promoted securing your guns and keeping it safe across the board. We don't like to see any firearms stolen."

Karl O'Callaghan says the thresholds for gun retailers and owners are insufficient. ( ABC News: Andrew O'Connor )

But Mr Callaghan said there should also be a review of gun ownership regulations, after an increase in home burglaries targeting gun safes in recent years.

"There needs to be threshold on the number of firearms a single person can have on their firearm's licence," he said.

New Police Minister Michelle Roberts said while Mr O'Callaghan's ideas were worth considering, he would need to provide the Government with his proposed amendments to the firearms act.

"But anything that makes the storage of firearms more secure would be something welcomed by our Government," he said.

Handguns flood black market

The officer leading the investigation into the Beckenham heist, Detective Senior Sergeant Darren Hart, said there had never been so many handguns entering the WA black market than in recent times.

Detective Senior Sergeant Darren Hart has appealed for help to locate the stolen handguns. ( ABC News: Laura Gartry )

He said older, converted guns represented the bulk of illicit firearms.

"[Most] are stolen locally and modified. For example, a stolen rifle that is then cut down to be more concealable," he said.

"We get people who have firearms that are designed to fire blank rounds, who with the right know-how can be converted to fire projectiles.

"It would be rare for us to see a new type of handgun like the type of quality that was stolen the other day."

Barry and Son Firearms was contacted by the ABC but declined to comment.