A Port Arthur massacre survivor is urging the federal government to maintain restrictions on the controversial Adler A110 shotgun as the expiry date for a temporary ban on the weapon's sale looms.

Twenty years since the 1996 massacre, which saw gunman Martin Bryant kill 35 people and injure 23, Australia's strict gun control laws could soon be weakened if a review of a fast action-lever shotgun is not finalised.

Carolyn Loughton, who lost her 15-year-old daughter Sarah in the massacre and was severely injured herself, was shocked when she discovered the high-powered weapon was soon to be released in Australia.

Carolyn Loughton, who lost her 15-year-old daughter in the Port Arthur massacre is calling for a permanent ban on the Adler A110. (Source: Youtube)

"The news report stopped me in my tracks," Ms Loughton told the ABC.

"The person firing that gun had earphones on, it was very, very rapid fire. You can't run that fast. It was truly, truly frightening."

Ms Loughton formed a petition last year calling for a permanent ban on the firearm which has so far received more than 12,000 signatures.

The introduction of the Adler A110 is seen by many gun enthusiasts and critics as a loophole in the 1996 National Firearms Agreement, which places heavy restrictions on the ownership, sale and use of semi-automatic and pump-action rifles.

Despite the weapon's capability to fire eight rounds in as many seconds, the shotgun uses a lever system, not included in the agreement brokered by former Prime Minister John Howard after Port Arthur.

Following a furore from concerned citizens and media late last year, the federal government placed a temporary ban on the importation and sale of the weapon until August 7.

The ban was lambasted by a number of officials and organisations including Liberal Democrat Senator for NSW David Leyonhjelm who called it and "affront to liberal principles" that "will inevitably cost the government votes."

"No evidence has been presented that lever action firearms pose any more risk than firearms currently available. This is simply an attack on the rights of law abiding firearms owners and is driven by fanatical gun haters," he said in a statement.

In exchange for his vote on border control legislation, Senator Leyonhjelm strongarmed the government into applying an August expiry on the ban.

Despite the expiry date, the fate of the controversial firearm ultimately rests on the results of a broader bipartisan review conducted by the Commonwealth and a handful of government agencies.