Gun Control Australia supports the Victorian Government's acceptance of a range of recommended firearms reforms, but condemns the decision to reject the lead recommendation of caps on individual firearm ownership as a serious and dangerous failure of public safety leadership.
The Government has agreed to a number of reforms, including tighter eligibility requirements, the reclassification of higher risk firearms, stronger screening processes and a more representative firearms advisory approach – measures Gun Control Australia supports as meaningful steps toward a safer community.
However, the Government has squandered a critical opportunity by ruling out a cap on how many firearms any individual can own, and has also declined to join the national gun buyback scheme. In doing so, it has rejected a central finding of former Victorian Police Commissioner Ken Lay's independent, evidence-based review.
Gun Control Australia Vice President Roland Browne said the Government's selective acceptance of the review's recommendations was deeply troubling.
"Former Police Commissioner Ken Lay brought independence, expertise and a clear public safety focus to this work, and his recommendations, including the cap on individual ownership, deserve to be implemented in their entirety," Mr Browne said.
"The reforms the Government has accepted are positive and we support them. But cherry-picking the easier recommendations while discarding the most important one is not good enough. Commissioner Lay's review was unambiguous: Victoria needs a cap on individual gun ownership. The Government's refusal to act on that finding puts lives at risk.
“As a former Police Commissioner, Ken Lay understands better than most the dangers that flow from an excess of firearms in the community — not just to civilians, but to the police officers who must confront armed offenders on the frontline. Rejecting his recommendation fails not only the public, but those sworn to protect them.
"In an election year, it appears political calculation has been placed ahead of community safety. We urge the Government in the strongest possible terms to reverse its position and implement Ken Lay's recommendations in full."
The evidence on the connection between legal firearm numbers and illicit supply is stark. The Australia Institute has found that over 9,000 firearms have been stolen since the start of 2020, and at least 44,600 have been stolen over the past 20 years — one every four hours. Police recover only around a quarter of guns taken. The more legal guns there are in Australia, the more illegal guns there will be.
Capping the number of firearms individuals can own, combined with participation in a national buyback scheme, is therefore not just about limiting private stockpiles. It is a direct measure to reduce the pipeline of weapons flowing into criminal hands. Victoria's decision to reject the review's cap recommendation will have real consequences for community safety.
Firearms policy must be driven by evidence and the imperative to protect public safety, not by electoral politics. Ken Lay's review provided Victoria with exactly that evidence base. The Government has chosen to ignore it, and that decision is indefensible.
Gun Control Australia will continue to campaign for the strongest possible firearms laws across all Australian jurisdictions. Evidence-based recommendations from independent experts must be implemented in full — the safety of our communities demands nothing less.
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