Western Australia to Introduce Nation’s Toughest Gun Laws

Weapons that were surrendered due to the National Firearm Amnesty are seen at the Victoria Police Forensic Services Centre in Melbourne, Australia, on Aug. 11, 2017. Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Owners of firearms in Western Australia are about to face the most restrictive laws in the country as new legislation is introduced to the state parliament.

It will limit the number of guns someone can own, implement stricter licensing and storage requirements, impose compulsory training and health checks on firearms owners, and introduce mandatory disqualifying offences.

The state government says there are more than 360,000 licensed firearms owned by fewer than 90,000 people in WA.

Premier Roger Cook said the amendments were the result of years of consultation with licence holders, the industry, and the broader public, but admitted that “some current gun owners may struggle to prove their legitimate need for a licence when the laws change.”

“The firearms bill modernises WA’s gun licensing regime and prioritises public safety above the privilege of owning a firearm,” he said. “New laws will replace the current five-decades-old act and see my government unapologetically impose the strictest regulations of firearms anywhere in Australia.”

No Major Reform Since 1973

While there have been several amendments to the Act over the years, there has been no structural reform since it was enacted back in 1973.

“Farmers who use firearms to do their job, club members who use them to participate in their sport and recreational hunters who help landowners to control vermin are all accommodated for,” he said.

Farmers and gun club members will be restricted to 10 firearms each, while recreational shooters will only be able to own five. State, national or international level competition shooters will be able to apply to own more than 10.

The government commenced a firearms buyback scheme on Wednesday. It will run for six months, or until the $64.3 million budget is exhausted.

Gun owners will be eligible for payments of up to $1,000 for each weapon they surrender, depending on the type, style, calibre, and initial registration date. Semi-automatic handguns will fetch up to $833 while double-barrelled shotguns less than six years old will net $750. The $1,000 maximum applies to handguns less than six years old.

Unlicensed firearms can also be surrendered without penalty or fear of prosecution via the state’s ongoing amnesty, but will not qualify for the buyback scheme.

Licensing to Be Digitised

The state will also introduce a new digital licence scheme, with an online portal and upgraded IT system which the government said would give police real-time access to licence holder details.

The Alannah and Madeline Foundation—launched in 1996 after Alannah and Madeline Mikac, aged six and three, were killed alongside their mother and 32 other people at Port Arthur, Tasmania—said the proposed laws were the strongest firearm reforms in Australia since the Port Arthur tragedy.

It said they would help keep the community safe from firearm violence and reduce the likelihood of criminal access to dangerous firearms, but added that some areas could be further strengthened.

The state government has already more than doubled the penalties for anyone convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm or unlawfully discharging a firearm in public, outlawed 3D printed guns, and introduced Firearm Prohibition Orders to target bikies and other organised crime figures.