Federal Nationals have expressed concern about the New South Wales government’s decision to classify the Adler 110 shotgun in category D, which would mean it is only accessible to professional shooters.



Victorian Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie declared on Monday the NSW government had given in to “political opportunism” by arguing for the tight classification, describing city-based opponents of the shooting lobby as the “smashed avocado curtain”.

“I’m yet to see any evidence of why you’d shift the Adler into category D,” McKenzie told Guardian Australia.

The NSW Nationals senator John Williams told Guardian Australia on Monday he agreed with the former deputy premier Troy Grant who wanted to put the weapon into category B.

“I think category D is very, very restrictive,” Williams said.

The Adler A110 is currently subject to an import ban because state governments have not been able to agree on how to classify the weapon.

The NSW government was pushing for the seven-shot Adler weapon to be classified in category B, but over the weekend, the state switched course, signalling it would support category D, which likely means agreement on Friday when the prime minister meets premiers at Coag for a discussion about gun control.

Agreement between jurisdictions on Friday would allow limited importation of the weapon.

McKenzie and Williams late last month voted in defiance of government policy by supporting a motion that would have ended the import ban on the Adler weapon. Nationals ministers Fiona Nash, Nigel Scullion and Matt Canavan were absent from the chamber during the critical vote.

The Senate debate and the show of dissent by federal Nationals in late October followed confirmation the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party’s had won the Orange byelection – a significant political upset in NSW that has triggered significant nervousness in Canberra among National parliamentarians.

Both McKenzie and Williams argued it was strange to allow the five-shot Adler weapon to stay in category A, while arguing the seven shot needed a much tougher classification.

Williams said he could get access to semi-automatic weapons in category C which were “far more dangerous weapons than a reloader”.

McKenzie said it was incumbent on NSW to produce the evidence informing its decision. “This has come out of the blue, there really doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason behind it.”

She said rather restricting the activities of responsible licensed shooters, governments would be better placed going after illegal weapons used by criminals and crime gangs.