University Study Finds Holes In Australian Gun Laws

Thursday, 5 October 2017





MEDIA RELEASE:



Research Shows Australia’s Gun Laws Are in Decline





A report released today by Gun Control Australia (GCA) reveals that after two decades of political pressure Australia’s gun laws are in decline.



The GCA is calling on the Prime Minister to place the States’ erosion of our gun laws on the agenda of the COAG meeting today in Canberra.



The Report prepared by Philip Alpers, Adjunct Associate Professor, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney provides a detailed analysis of State and Territory legislation to determine the level of compliance with the 1996 National Firearms Agreement (NFA).



Key research findings:

• no State or Territory complies with the National Firearms Agreement

• four previous formal reports on legislative compliance with the NFA have shown a continual lack of compliance with the NFA

• the erosion of our gun laws has acceleration of since the last report prepared by Professor Kate Warner in 2006

• the states where the laws have been most diluted are: New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.

• when one jurisdiction erodes its laws the other states tend to follow significantly weaken the national framework



Major erosions to state laws include:

• diluting regulations around ownership and possession of high powered firearms

• allowing minors to possess and use firearms, even without a permit despite the NFA requiring all firearm licence holders to be at least 18 years of age

• removal of the “cooling-off period” when acquiring second or subsequent hunting rifles and shotguns

• allowing members of the public to shoot unlicensed at gun clubs

• allowing the use of high-powered semi-automatic firearms during 6-month probationary period

• unlimited possession of ammunition

• weakening of genuine reason to obtain a hunting licence





Chair of Gun Control Australia, Samantha Lee, States, “Although our gun laws have made Australia a safer place, this research shows we may be facing a concerning future. With gun numbers increasing, gun laws eroding and the gun lobby on the rise, the situation is not looking good.”



GCA claims that recreational hunters have been able to gain the most benefit from the dilution of the laws. To satisfy the genuine reason test, instead of requiring permission from a land owner, a recreational hunter is now only required to join a gun club. Once a licence has been obtained, the holder can have access to rapid-style firearms and accumulate an unlimited supply of such firearms without further background checks. The result being a proliferation of hunting rifles within the community.



Samantha Lee, Chair of GCA, further states, “No state has managed to come out unscathed from years of politically back sliding and deal making. Although many parts of our laws remain in tact, the ongoing steady weakening of our laws will cause the national approach to collapse.”



“The state by state erosion of our gun laws is the exactly the same strategy the NRA has used in the United States. We can’t let this happen here. Gun control is in our control and we must not let these laws slip away.”







For Further Information, call:

Sam Lee

Chair, Gun Control Australia

0418 491459



Prof Charles Watson

GCA spokesperson for WA

0411 600 864



Philip Alpers

Adjunct Associate Professor

Sydney School of Public Health

University of Sydney

(0404) 857075

