LAW-abiding firearms owners have raised serious concerns about Labor’s new laws, including a lack of due process which saw debate gagged and the laws rushed through Parliament in recent weeks, according to Nationals WA leader Shane Love.
“The Nationals WA are the only party which opposed Labor’s new firearms laws,” Mr Love said.
“Labor’s new laws will force many to surrender their firearms and severely impact regional firearms dealers. These laws are unnecessary and heavy-handed.
“That’s why The Nationals WA have committed to rewrite aspects of the Firearms Act 2024 if we are returned to government at the state election.”
Mr Love also criticised the ongoing treatment of the firearms community by the Police Minister Paul Papalia throughout the debate and the recent distribution of thousands of misleading text messages by WA Police.
“These texts, which were inaccurate, contributed to confusion and concern for many law-abiding firearm owners, by falsely stating the new firearms act had come into law,” he said.
The existing Firearms Act 1973 will remain in effect until the Firearms Act 2024 is proclaimed, which is expected to occur in March next year.
“WA Police should be helping firearms owners navigate the new process, not sending out misleading communications.
“And it’s disappointing the Police Minister has refused to apologise for this costly error, which has set taxpayers back around $26,000 and was totally avoidable.”
Legislative Council candidate Rob Horstman said as a regional resident and a licensed firearm owner, he understood the importance of firearms for pest control on the family farm, and also that many people also enjoy shooting for enjoyment – either as part of a gun club or recreationally.
“Shooting is one of the most inclusive sports out there and can be enjoyed no matter your age or ability,” he said.
“We’re just days away from the Paris Olympics, where WA’s own Laura Coles will compete on an international level, but the Labor Government is discouraging other West Australians from taking up this past-time.”
THE strictest gun laws in the nation have passed the Parliament of Western Australia, ensuring thousands of firearms are removed from the community.
In a nation-leading move, the number of guns an individual can own will be restricted depending on their licence type. Primary producers and competition shooters can have up to 10 firearms while recreational hunters are restricted to five.
The complete rewrite of WA’s 50-year-old Firearms Act has also seen the introduction of Mandatory Disqualifying Offences and Orders (MDOs), which strip guns from the hands of serious offenders such as family and domestic violence perpetrators.
Under the changes, anyone who applies for a gun licence must complete mandatory firearms training. All owners will also be required to undergo a regular health assessment and comply with new storage requirements.
Supported by a multimillion-dollar digital licensing and management system, an overhaul of the corrupted ‘property letter’ system gives power back to landowners and lease holders so they can control who enters and shoots on their property.
In advance of the legislation passing, the State Government had already doubled the penalties for gun crime, outlawed very high-powered firearms and introduced Firearm Prohibition Orders to target underworld figures.
To date, close to 14,000 guns from more than 8,000 people have been sold to the State Government as part of the ongoing voluntary firearms buyback scheme.
The $64.3 million buyback offers licensed gun owners up to $1,000 to hand in their weapon and remains open until 31 August 2024.
Premier Roger Cook said for the first time, WA’s firearms laws elevate public safety above the privilege of owning a gun.
“I’m unapologetic for our safety-first approach which strengthens gun controls and enhances public safety.
“Sadly, in recent years, we’ve seen the devastating consequences resulting from the misuse of firearms in our community.
“Those tragedies highlight the need to remove guns from people who don’t have a legitimate reason for owning one.
Police Minister Paul Papalia said the consultation process for the historic rewrite of the state’s 50-year-old Firearms Act has been long and extensive and thanked the Primary Producers Advisory Board, peak firearms bodies and community safety advocates.
“The reform removes thousands of unnecessary guns from our community while also enabling the legitimate and responsible use of firearms.”
FIGURES released last week from Police Minister’s Paul Papalia’s office reveal the Midland police district, covering an area from Ellenbrook, Mundaring and Forrestfield, has the most registered firearms in the state at 30,556.
This compares to the Perth police district, covering the CBD and western suburbs, with a total of 5752 firearms, with high totals also in the surrounding areas of Mandurah 26,150, Joondalup 24,739 Armadale 21,357 and Mirrabooka 14,914.
Surprisingly, the regional total of 175,409 registered firearms was only marginally higher than the metropolitan total of 151,404 firearms, not including those belonging to a licensed to dealer/distributor, for a total of 326,813 in the state, owned by 89,530 licence holders.
These figures do not include the 12,000 firearms returned as part of the recent $64.3 million buyback scheme and include firearm, collector and ammunition collector licence types only
Mr Papalia said since 2009, the number of guns in WA had increased by 65 per cent.
“Public safety is paramount, and that has been the key consideration when drafting the state’s new firearms laws.
“If there are fewer firearms in the community, there are fewer opportunities for them to be used illegally,” Mr Papalia said.
He said legislation currently being debated in the Upper House will introduce a limit on the number of firearms a person can own, toughen storage requirements and impose mandatory training and health checks for all gun owners.
“Firearm limits alone will remove over 10,000 firearms from the community,” Mr Papalia said.
“In addition to the proposed legislative changes, we have already stripped notorious crime figures and serious domestic violence offenders of their firearms and removed 280 unnecessarily high-powered guns from the community.
“This historic reform will make WA a safer place and will benefit future generations for decades to come,” he said.
He strongly encouraged all firearm owners to consider participating in the buyback before it closes, or the fund is exhausted.
“This is your one opportunity to get paid for your firearm by the government before the new laws come into effect.”
The released data shows WA Police licensing services revoked 215 firearms licences because of family and domestic violence or violence restraining orders between October 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024.
In April, there were 13 active cases of licence holders subject to restraining orders who had their guns handed back after an appeal to the State Administrative Tribunal.
Under the Firearms Act, licence holders subjected to violence restraining orders are not considered “fit and proper persons” to continue owning guns.
The state government will also introduce new laws requiring accused family and domestic violence offenders to have their guns taken from them by police as a mandatory measure.
Guns will be confiscated until the claims of violence are investigated and resolved.
The move follows from the recent murders of Floreat mother Jennifer Petelczyc and her daughter Gretl.
