Foundation established by father of massacre victims says it’s concerned over proposal by NSW deputy premier to amend national Category D firearm restrictions

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

One of Australia’s most prominent children’s charities has urged the attorney general, George Brandis, and police ministers across the country not to wind back gun restrictions that could allow people to obtain an “unlimited” number of pump action or semi-automatic shotguns.

The Alannah & Madeline Foundation, which was established by Walter Mikac in memory of his two children Alannah and Madeline who were killed in the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, has written an urgent letter to Brandis and the NSW deputy premier, Troy Grant, about a proposal floated by NSW police and government officials at a recent meeting.

The letter outlines that the group has attended a number of consultation sessions with state and federal governments for the National Firearms Review.

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It says that during a recent state consultation, the foundation was “concerned to hear that there is active consideration being given” to amending restrictions to Category D firearms. Guardian Australia understands the representations were made by the NSW police and government.

Category D firearms include heavier forms of firearms including semi-automatic rifles, semi-automatic shotguns and pump-action shotguns.

Because of the capacity of the weaponry, licence holders are restricted to only one weapon but the NSW government has flagged removing this restriction.

“The foundation’s position on this matter is very clear,” The foundation’s chief executive officer, Lesley Podesta, wrote in a letter obtained by Guardian Australia. “Where primary producers have a genuine need for the use of a Category D firearm for the purpose of a vertebrate pest control program, this should be closely and strictly regulated.”

“The foundation does not support individuals having more than one Category D firearm at any one time and we would be completely opposed to opening up an ‘unlimited’ number of Category D firearms to individuals. This creates a very significant risk to community safety.”

The letter was sent before a meeting of the attorney general and police ministers in Melbourne on Friday.

A spokeswoman for NSW police declined to comment, and that the proposal was a legislative matter for government.

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It has also come amid renewed political focus on the federal government’s ban on importing lever-action shotguns with a magazine capacity of more than five rounds. The changes were made particularly over concerns about the Adler A110 lever-action shotgun.

Reports have indicated the government may be considering changing these restrictions in exchange for the support of Liberal Democrat senator David Lleyonhjelm for key industrial relations legislation.

The letter urged this class of shotgun to be restricted further by government to a Category D weapon.

“There is no place in our community for rapid-action firearms of this type. We do not support any grandfather clauses for existing owners.”

The Greens senator Lee Rhiannon said it was time to “strengthen the national firearm agreement, not water it down”.

“This Adler shotgun import ban is in place on the best advice of state, territory and federal law enforcement agencies and it is absolutely vital that that ban stays in place.”

“We cannot ‘modernise’ the National Firearm Agreement and leave the door open for the import of the Adler. The purpose of John Howard’s agreement was to limit access to rapid-fire firearms in the interest of public safety, and that is what the prime minister must commit to doing.” Senator Rhiannon said.