"Most of the problems you have are with illicit firearms. It is very rare that problems come from the ... firearm fraternity. "I think that [increase] is a really positive sign because on the ground it feels like it is a lot harder to get a licence these days." Responding to an LNP question on notice, Police Minister Mark Ryan revealed the number of weapons licences had increased to 200,437 as of May 2019, according to police data. A ministerial spokesman said you "can’t be tough on crime if you’re soft on guns; that’s why the Palaszczuk Government will never allow gun laws to be weakened". He said the government recognised Queensland does "have a significant community of law-abiding firearms licence holders".

"It’s important to note that Queensland has the largest area of agricultural land in the nation and that many primary producers have legitimate reasons to possess a weapons licence." Gun policy expert Dr Samara McPhedran said that, historically, Queensland has had relatively high rates of gun ownership. "But what we tend to have seen is very little, if any, relationships between the number of firearm licences and firearm misuse," said Dr McPhedran, who is Griffith University's homicide research unit director. "More guns does not equal more crime — we appear to be seeing the exact opposite." Dr McPhedran said the majority of gun crime in Queensland tended to involve unlicensed weapons.

But Queensland Greens Senator Larissa Waters said she could not "see any justification for more firearms in our community whatsoever". Loading “The fact weapons licences are increasing is shocking and the government must explain why they have let this happen," she said. “Federal and state governments have dropped the ball on gun control. No Australian state or territory has fully complied with the National Firearms Agreement, which is absolutely appalling." Senator Waters said all political donations from the gun industry should be banned, claiming firearm interest groups had donated at least $500,000 to political parties, including the LNP, Labor and Katter's Australian Party.

“We know the scourge of gun violence in the United States is directly related to the power and money the gun lobby has there," she said. "With such a high rate of weapons licences being granted in Queensland, it’s even more clear we need a major overhaul of political donation laws in this country and to eliminate the corrupting influence of the gun lobby from our democracy urgently. “How can Australians have any faith that these political parties are acting in their best interests on gun laws rather than the interests of their donors and their corporate profits?" An LNP spokesman said the opposition had introduced a private members' bill to get tough on gun crime to increase sentences and penalties for crimes involving guns. A Gun Control Australia-commissioned study from the Australia Institute found there were more guns in Australia now than before the Port Arthur massacre.

After the massacre that killed 35 people, then-prime minister John Howard banned semi-automatic weapons and introduced a national buy-back scheme. “Australians would be surprised to learn that Australia has more guns now than even before the Port Arthur massacre and the introduction of strict gun controls,” researcher Bill Browne said when the report was released in March. “While the number of hunters, sporting shooters and licenced gun owners has fallen over the last 20 years, the number of firearms has increased. "In short, our research finds fewer gun owners are buying more guns.” Gun Control Australia did not respond requests for further comment.

Shooters Union Australia president Graham Park said the increase of 15,000 Queensland gun licences was "great news". "It's worth keeping in mind the process for obtaining a firearms licence takes several months and involves a number of police background checks, as well as a firearms safety course," he said. “Purchasing a gun also requires an individual permit from the police each time, too. Anyone who has obtained a firearms licence has proved they are an upstanding, law-abiding member of the community." Mr Park said the types of guns hunters and sporting shooters could obtain in Queensland were limited. “‘Scary' firearms such as the AR-15 or AK-47 are prohibited for civilian ownership except in a very tiny number of cases and the majority of legally owned guns in Queensland are manually operated .22 rimfire rifles and single or double-barrelled shotguns," he said.