Our world-leading gun control laws are being undermined as a result of decades of pressure from the well-funded and powerful gun lobby. Nowhere is this more evident than in New South Wales, where the total number of registered firearms has just broken through the 1 million mark – meaning there is now one gun for every eight NSW citizens.
NSW laws breach the National Firearms Agreement – the landmark pact all states and territories signed up for after the 1996 Port Arthur Massacre – 11 times.
What can I do?
1. Be informed! Join our mailing list here (we won't spam you), and read our NSW Report Card here.
2. Contact your local member! Tell them you are concerned the rising number of guns in NSW is placing community safety at risk. You can also draw inspiration from our list of policy asks for the major parties below. We’re in an election campaign, so it’s a great idea to contact any candidates running in your area too. If you’re not sure who your local member is, follow this easy two step process:
- Enter your suburb or postcode into the electoral commission’s website, then click on ‘view district profile’. Your local member’s name will be the one at the top of the list.
- Type their name and the word ‘contact’ into a search engine and their details should pop up.
3. Make your voice heard! Write a Letter to the Editor or call talkback radio:
- Sydney Morning Herald: Email [email protected]
- Daily Telegraph: Use this webform
4. Tell your friends! Our social media tiles can be found here. A you can share the video below.
5. Donate! We’re a small voluntary organisation that is up against the multi-million-dollar gun lobby. Every dollar you donate directly supports our research and advocacy. You can donate here.
What we are calling for
Ahead of the upcoming State election, we are calling on both major parties to put community safety first by:
- Limiting the number of guns per licence holder to two each, save for special need or genuine collectors.
- Requiring recreational hunting licence applicants to renew their licence annually.
- Asking the Auditor-General to conduct a performance audit into the regulation of recreational hunting and hunting clubs in NSW.
- Requiring the NSW Firearms Registry to conduct mandatory annual audits of all gun clubs to ensure legislative compliance.
- Establishing an information sharing system between the NSW Firearm Registry and the Family Law Courts.
- 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.
- Placing semi-automatic handguns in the same firearm category as semi-automatic long arms.
- Making it an offence for people with a blood alcohol reading greater than .05 to carry a firearm.
- Removing the right to shoot unlicensed at gun clubs.
- Removing minors permits so that only people aged 18 years and over may possess and/or own a firearm.
- Banning donations from the arms industry and gun lobby groups to political parties and candidates.
- Refusing to preference parties advocating for the further loosening of gun laws, including the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, and One Nation.
- Bringing NSW gun laws into full compliance with the National Firearms Agreement.
- 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.
About Gun Control Australia
Gun Control Australia is the representative body for the overwhelming majority of Australians who support uniform, effective and sensible firearm legislation and policy. While we recognise 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.