Western Australia Passes Strictest Gun Laws in the Country, Includes Health Checks

Customers shop for firearms in a gun store in Austin, Texas, on Aug. 25, 2023. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Western Australia (WA) has passed the strictest gun laws in Australia with the goal of removing thousands of firearms from the community.

The Firearms Bill 2024 (pdf) has passed both houses of the WA parliament and is now awaiting royal assent, with Labor and Liberals overwhelmingly supportive of the bill and the Nationals opposing it.

The state will limit the number of guns an individual can own depending on licence type. Recreational hunters will be restricted to five guns, while primary producers and competition shooters will be able to own up to 10.

The new laws will require gun owners to undergo a regular health assessment, including a check for mental health, and comply with new storage requirements.

Any individual who decides to apply for a gun licence will be required to undertake “mandatory firearms training.”

The legislation is supported by a new digital licence scheme that will provide police with real-time access to gun licence details.

The government said nearly 14,000 guns from more than 8,000 people have already been sold back to the state government.

This is the first time Western Australian firearm laws elevated public safety above the “privilege of owning a gun,” Labor Premier Roger Cook said.

“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,” he said.

One of the most recently publicised shooting incidents was that involving 63-year-old registered gun owner Mark Bombara, who shot a woman and her daughter before turning the gun on himself.

Mr. Cook said those tragedies highlight the need to remove guns from people who “don’t have a legitimate reason for owning one.”

“Passing this legislation is a momentous occasion, and I’m proud to lead a government committed to improving safety for current and future generations of Western Australians,” he said.

Police Minister Paul Papalia said the reform removes thousands of unnecessary guns from the community, while also enabling the “legitimate and responsible use of firearms.”

“Our new laws make WA a safer place for everyone and will benefit future generations for decades to come,” Mr. Papalia said.

Instills ‘Fear Into the Population’: Opposition

Two of the three sitting Liberals supported the legislation, while Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) for the South West region Steve Thomas voted with the Nationals in opposing the bill.

Mr. Thomas, a regional Liberal, said he believed the government and sections of the media have used this process as an opportunity to “instill fear into the population.”

“The government has deliberately tried to make people frightened to deliver the political outcome that it wanted. That is both incredibly unfortunate and dangerous,” he said.

While Mr. Thomas acknowledged the government did have some constructive components in the bill, he said there should have been an opportunity to improve the firearm laws without insulting honest, responsible licensed firearm owners.

“It is because of the vilification of good people, the diminishment of individual rights, and that the government and some parts of the media have used fear as a weapon to get this bill through and garner support for it, and because so much will be hidden in regulations again, as is the trend of this government that I cannot bring myself to support this bill,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nationals MLC for the agricultural region Martin Aldridge raised concerns that the bill had not been considered in enough detail in parliament.

“One reason I cannot support the third reading is that we have considered a bill of this importance and only got as far as a dozen clauses into an almost 500-clause bill,” he said.

He also said the National Party had canvassed extensively on the issue of health assessments, and expressed concerns about police conducting them.

“Probably my biggest concern is about police undertaking their duties under the provisions of this legislation, particularly in relation to health assessments. I think we are starting from a fairly low base,” he said.

“It is going to take literally hundreds and hundreds of not just sworn officers, but other staff within WA police to process this policy response alone.

“It is going to take 1,500 assessments a month for five years to deal with just the current licence holders, let alone the people who will be applying for new licences.”

Mr. Aldridge raised concerns about the police exemption from the Firearms Act, noting that ordinary licensed firearm owners appear to being treated differently from sworn officers of the WA Police Force.

“At least with regard to both mental and physical health assessments to ensure, ultimately a safe community,” he added.

In the Upper House, the legislation passed 24 votes to five.

The opposing votes were from Mr. Aldridge, Mr. Thomas, Nationals Louise Kingston and Colin de Grussa, and Brian Walker from the Legalise Cannabis Party of WA.