Gun Control Australia (GCA) sends its condolences to the people of the United States, especially to Latino communities, after two mass shootings took place on Sunday.

So far 20 people have bee killed in the border city of El Paso, Texas and nine in the city of Dayton, Ohio.

Although authorities are still confirming details, it has been reported the shootings have links to white nationalism and anti-immigrants hate rhetoric.

Samantha Lee, President of GCA states, “There are two weapons that have been used in these shootings: white nationalism and high-powered firearms. None of these weapons have any place in a civilised society. All across the political spectrum need to speak out against such vile rhetoric and actions.”

 Click here for link to The Guardian story: 

Two mass shooting in US

Media release: New data reveals huge taxpayer spend on gun clubs

According to a new report released by Gun Control Australia, a minimum of $77,467,237 has been allocated via government grants schemes to fund improvements to gun clubs and build and renovate shooting complexes over a five-year period (2014/15 to 2018/2019). Click to see fun report: Click to view full report.

Key points:

• For the period 2014/15 to 2018/2019 a minimum of $77,467,237 was allocated to improve gun clubs and build or improve shooting complexes through the various Commonwealth and State grant schemes.
• Queensland allocated $16,500,000 to upgrading shooting complexes - the most of any jurisdiction - followed closely by New South Wales who allocated $15,043,000.^[1]  Commonwealth funding has exceeded $13,344,000.
• The Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (SSAA) received a large piece of the funding pie, receiving over $1,692,000 for its various gun clubs across Australia.
• Although the rate of participation in shooting sports is declining, the level of government funds to the sport remains high.
• New South Wales and Victoria established specific grant schemes just for shooting sports. The New South Wales scheme is the oldest and has been operating since 1998. The New South Wales scheme has allocated over $25 million dollars since its inception.^[2]

For the period 2014/15 to 2018/2019, various grants were allocated to the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (SSAA). The SSAA received over $1,692,000 for improvement to gun clubs. This figure may be an underestimation of grants allocated to the SSAA, because the Victorian Government does not publish a break-down of grant recipients in the Shooting Sports Facilities Program.^[3]  In the SSAA Victoria 2017/2018 Annual Report it states the organisation received $502,942 (2018) and $751,000 (2017) in government grants. These government grants are for a range of SSAA projects, including for the Shooting Sports Facilities Program^[4].

The SSAA is the largest and oldest gun advocate and sports shooting body in Australia. The organisation’s website lists the National Rifle Association (NRA) as one of its affiliations and close relationships. It has offices in each state and territory as well as a national office. The Association also has 400 SSAA shooting clubs with a national membership of 180,000 gun owners.^[5]

The figures were collated from Commonwealth and State Budget Papers, Annual Reports and media releases, providing a picture of the funds allocated by each jurisdiction over a period of time.

Total funds granted

Comments from Samantha Lee, President of GCA

 “While many sporting clubs hold sausage sizzles to keep afloat, the already cashed-up Sporting Shooters Association of Australia is flush with taxpayer funding.”

“There are few sporting sectors that have their own specific government grants scheme, but shooting is one of them. In New South Wales the Government-run ‘Safe Shooting Scheme’ has been operating for over 20 years and has allocated more than $25 million in funds to shooting bodies.”

“Although the participation rate in shooting sports is declining in Australia, the level of government funds remains high. It’s no doubt a reflection of how effective the gun lobby’s backroom deals with politicians continue to be.”

Recent relevant research

Recent research from the Australia Institute has shed light on the political strategies of the Australian gun lobby, and has revealed that the gun lobby in Australia is as large, per capita, as the NRA in the US.  This research has also found that the number of guns per gun-owner in Australia has increased dramatically, despite a drop in the number of people engaged in sport shootingoverall.

Community support for strong gun laws

March 2019 polling conducted by Essential reveals that 37 per cent of people in NSW think current gun laws are “too weak”.  This is an increase from 26 per cent when the poll was last conducted in March 2018.

The proportion of people who think gun laws are “about right” declined from 65 per cent to 52 per cent. The proportion of people who believe that laws are “too strict” has remained very low at 5 per cent, close to the previous figure of 6 per cent in 2018.

About Gun Control Australia

Gun Control Australia is the representative body for the majority of Australians who support uniform, effective and sensible firearms legislation and policy.  While we recognise that there is a place for firearms for certain purposes, we believe our community deserves to live without fear of gun violence, and we need to be vigilant to ensure Australia’s gun laws remain current and effective.

[1]NSW Government 2017-2018, Local Sport Grant Program Recipients, Office of Sport Annual Reports 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18.

[2]https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/government-accused-of-spending-big-to-keep-nsw-shooters-on-side-20171022-gz5sqy.html

[3]The Victorian allocation of grants figures to the SSAA has been collated from SSAA media releases and annual reports.

[4]Sporting Shooters’ Association of Victoria, Annual Report 2017/2018, pg 12.

[5]Philip Alpers, 4 December 2016, ‘Australian gun laws may seed their own destruction: Laws are providing a multi-million income stream for Australia’s pro gun lobby’, GunPolicy,org.

Statement on the New Zealand massacre

Gun Control Australia offers our thoughts and condolences to all Muslim communities across the pacific and to all New Zealanders affected by this senseless act of violence. From our work we know that the road ahead will be a long and hard one for both those directly involved, and for the nation as a whole. 

This act is a stark reminder that one of the most basic freedoms of all communities both here and across the pacific is the right to live without fear of gun violence.

We are deeply saddened that the Australian citizen involved in the attack obtained a gun licence and high-powered firearms to inflict unspeakable grief on a specific community.

There is still a lot we don’t know about the incident and how 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant came to acquire a New Zealand gun licence and five guns: two semi-automatics rifles, two shotguns and a lever action firearm. We also don’t know if he holds a New South Wales gun licence.

GCA will be making a further statement once additional information becomes avaliable.

A Fact Sheet about the disparity between New Zealand gun laws and those of other developed nations can be accessed here: Gunpolicy.org 

With deepest sympathy

Samantha Lee

President
Gun Control Australia

New data reveals alarming proliferation of guns in New South Wales

The number of guns in New South Wales has now broken through the 1 million-mark, new data obtained under access to information laws reveals.  The number of registered firearms now totals 1,007,786 – an increase of nearly 90,000 in just over two years.

With a population approaching 8 million, this means there is now one registered firearm for every eight NSW citizens. The overwhelming majority are hunting rifles and shotguns, including lever-action shotguns.  

New data revealed in report launched today

The damning analysis of State gun laws is revealed in a new ‘NSW Report Card’ released today by Gun Control Australia, along with 14 recommendations for the major parties to put community safety first in the lead up to the State election.  

The Report Card contains exclusive new data on gun ownership, gun crime (including domestic violence), stolen firearms, and gun lobby political donations.

“Many people don’t realise that our world leading gun laws are being dismantled as a result of decades of pressure from the well-funded and powerful gun lobby,” Gun Control Australia President Sam Lee said.

There are 100 individuals across NSW who own private gun arsenals with more than 70 firearms. One person (not a collector or gun dealer) in Sydney’s south-east owns a huge private cache of 305 guns.  A resident in Mosman, on Sydney’s lower north shore, owns 285 guns.

 “The alarming proliferation of guns is a direct result of politicians doing the bidding of the gun lobby, with the result that it is now all too easy to get a gun in NSW.”

“As gun numbers increase, community safety is being compromised.  Politicians need to remember their decisions can have a devastating real-world impact on the lives of ordinary people.”

Breaches of the National Firearms Agreement

The analysis also reveals that NSW is the worst offender in terms of non-compliance with the National Firearms Agreement – the landmark pact all states and territories signed up for after the 1996 Port Arthur Massacre. 

“NSW gun laws breach the National Firearms Agreement 11 times, including by allowing silencers, removing the need to provide a reason to acquire additional firearms, and having no limits on ammunition purchases,” Ms Lee said.

“We are concerned that community safety is being compromised as a result of backroom political deals done to appease minor parties, which are out of step with the overwhelming majority of Australians who want to see sensible and uniform gun restrictions.”

Illegal hunting 

The increase in the overall number of firearms is being driven in part by loose restrictions on recreational hunting, which make up around two-thirds of all genuine reasons in New South Wales.  

In breach of the National Firearms Agreement which allows only one ‘genuine reason’ as the basis for a licence application (proof of permission from a land owner), NSW laws allow recreational hunting applicants to choose from a number of ‘genuine reasons’.

“We recognise that certain people within the community, including livestock farmers, have a legitimate reason to own a firearm.  However, illegal hunting by inexperienced recreational shooters poses a risk to animal welfare and community safety, including rural landowners who have not given permission for shooting to occur on their property.”

“Despite government efforts such as the Shut the gate on illegal hunting program, the problem continues to be a major scourge on rural communities.  There is a dire need for better regulation of recreational hunting licences.” 

Major parties should prioritise community safety

The Report Card calls on both major parties to put community safety first by: 

1. Limiting the number of guns per licence holder to two each, save for special need or genuine collectors.
2. Requiring recreational hunting licence applicants to renew their licence annually.
3. Asking the Auditor-General to conduct a performance audit into the regulation of recreational hunting and hunting clubs in NSW.
4. Requiring the NSW Firearms Registry to conduct mandatory annual audits of all gun clubs to ensure legislative compliance.
5. Establishing an information sharing system between the NSW Firearm Registry and the Family Law Courts.
6. Asking the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) to conduct research into gun ownership and storage and the use of guns in domestic violence.
7. Placing semi-automatic handguns in the same firearm category as semi-automatic long arms.
8. Making it an offence for people with a blood alcohol reading greater than .05 to carry a firearm.
9. Removing the right to shoot unlicensed at gun clubs.
10. Removing minors permits so that only people aged 18 years and over may possess and/or own a firearm.
11. Banning donations from the arms industry and gun lobby groups to political parties and candidates.
12. Refusing to preference parties advocating for the further loosening of gun laws, including the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, and One Nation.
13. Bringing NSW gun laws into full compliance with the National Firearms Agreement.
14. Ensuring the NSW Firearms Registry has the funds and resources to implement the recommendations outlined in the NSW Auditor-General’s Report, ‘Firearms regulation’, released on 28 February 2019.

We have today written to both major parties calling on them to adopt our policy positions, and we will be sharing their responses (or non-responses) the week before the NSW election.

About Gun Control Australia

Gun Control Australia is the representative body for the majority of Australians who support uniform, effective and sensible firearm legislation and policy.  While we recognise that there is a place for firearms for certain purposes, we believe our community deserves to live without fear of gun violence, and we need to be vigilant to ensure Australia’s gun laws remain current and effective.

GCA Wins - Right to Information - Case Against Tasmanian Premier in Supreme Court

Yesterday 8 February 2019, Justice Michael Brett of the Supreme Court of Tasmania, found the decision by the Premier, Hon. William Hodgman to refuse Gun Control Australia (GCA) access to advice about proposed changes to Tasmanian gun laws  was wrong. Justice Brett ordered the Premier's decision be set aside and for a new decision be made in accordance with the law.

Justice Michael Brett stated, "At the most basic level of the argument, because the Premier referred to this advice in partial justification of the Government's position, it is impossible for the public to assess that question and legitimately oppose or support the Government's position in debate without being privy to that advice."

In March 2018, GCA sought advice from the then Police Minister, Rene Hidding, saying the proposed changes to gun laws would not contravene the National Firearms Agreement (NFA), which was introduced following the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.

On 30 April 2018, GCA was informed it had been denied access to the advice because the documents are of a “consultative nature” and granting access would be contrary to the “public interest” and “prohibit the frank exchange of views."

Ms Lee, President of GCA states, “This is a win for an open and transparent Tasmanian Government where decisions that would have a detrimental impact on public safety are not made behind closed doors without any public scrutiny.”

Roland Browne, Vice President of GCA and Tasmanian Spokesperson, states, “The Supreme Court has basically said that the Act (RTI) means what it says, that it points towards a release of information to better inform the public and these kinds of public interest considerations that feed into how decisions are made to be taken seriously.”

Click here to see copy of judgment:https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/tas/TASSC//2019/3.html

GCA Releases Report Card on the State of Gun Control in Victoria

Today Gun Control Australia (GCA) has released a Report Card on the state of gun control in Victoria. The report reveals: gun ownership in Victoria is increasing, gun laws are being undermined and the gun lobby is on the rise.

This Report Card collates a range of figures relating to Victoria about gun violence, gun ownership and gun laws. It explores how Victorian gun laws are travelling after twenty-two years of political pressure from the gun lobby to water them down.

Click here to see Report Card.

We are calling upon State and Territory Premiers and Ministers to protect families and children from gun violence, starting with the NSW Attorney General, Hon. Mark Speakman and Nsw Police Minister, Hon. Troy Grant. We need compulsory family law firearm checks once proceedings have been lodged in the Family Courts and we need a full scale review of gun laws, to ensure they're keeping us safe.

Please sign the petition: 

https://www.communityrun.org/petitions/give-women-the-right-to-veto-gun-ownership

Media Release:8 July 2018

Gun Control Australia is calling for a revamp of licensing requirements for shooters involved in family law disputes

Gun Control Australia (GCA) is calling for the implementation of robust new family law firearm safety checks to better protect women and children from gun violence.

The call comes after the recent horrific shooting of two teenagers in West Pennant Hills.

The family law firearm safety checks would be compulsory and required to be undertaken once a custody proceeding has been lodged in the Family Court. The checks would include:

• Firearm Licence Review, and
• Spousal notification for all new applications for a firearm licence and permits to acquire a firearm application

Firearm Licence Review

The Firearm Licence Review (FLR) would require police to check if any party to the family court proceedings has a gun licence and if so, if there is any concern for the safety for the firearm licence holder, their immediate family or the public. The police would have the power to suspend or revoke a licence or not issue a permit.

Spousal notification

Spousal notification would require police to notify the spouse/ partner who is a party to family law custody proceedings when the other party has a gun licence or has made an application for a firearm licence or an application to obtain a permit to acquire a licence. The notification would then allow the spouse/partner to object to the continuation of the licence or the application on the grounds of concerns for personal safety to himself, herself or others.

Samantha Lee, Director of GCA states, “Current gun laws fail to adequately to protect women and children from gun violence because the law requires an AVO to be in place or a charge for a criminal offence before a firearm may be revoked or suspend. By then, it may be to late to save a life.”

“What GCA wants to see happen is a more pro-active approach which gives woman a voice in the gun licence continuation, application or acquisition.”

System failed to review Mr Edwards’ gun licence and ownership.

GCA has various concerns about the monitoring of Mr John Edwards’ gun licence and ownership. These concerns include:

• Mr Edwards legally owned several firearms. He would have lodged a separate Permit to Acquire (PTA) for each firearm. He would have needed to specify a legitimate reason for wanting each firearm along with a good reason for acquiring additional firearms. (s. 31 Firearms Act 1996). It is impossible to see he had a good reason.

• He had to declare he could satisfy the safe-keeping of all firearms. Did anyone check his storage requirements?

• For a high-powered handgun he had to obtain a written statement by the relevant shooting club secretary or relevant office holder to obtain the PTA and the licence. He clearly deceived that person.

• A club must suspend or cancel membership if the member fails to meet club requirements.

• Having had two kinds of pistols he was required to participate in a minimum of 8 shooting activities during a compliance period. Did he meet these minimum shooting requirements in order to qualify for a high powered pistol licence?

• The pistol club requires a character reference before allowing membership. Did this occur?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-06/pennant-hills-shooting-of-teens-sydney-father-planned-attack/9947470

The ABC can reveal a report from Tasmania Police to the Liberal Government found its policy to water down firearm laws risked breaching the National Firearms Agreement, with none of the commitments costed or funding identified.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-21/liberals-gun-policy-criticised-in-police-report-as-uncosted/9890910