Australian Democrats
Member of the Legislative Council

Thursday 3rd September, 1998

FIREARMS LAWS ñ UNIFORM MEANS ìUNIFORMLYî WEAK

The Australian Democrats will move in the next session of State Parliament to establish South Australia as the first and only state to comply with proposed national firearms restrictions.

Democrats Police spokesman Ian Gilfillan, says since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, the pursuit of so-called ìuniformî national laws has led to each stateís laws being watered down, towards the lowest common denominator.   This has been documented by Professor Kate Warner of the University of Tasmania, on behalf of the Australian Institute of Criminology.

ìSouth Australia is now faced with a choice,î Mr Gilfillan says. ìWe can either pursue the sort of laws Australians said we wanted after Port Arthur, or we can pursue mere uniformity, for the sake of uniformity.î

ìIf my proposed amendments to the Firearms Act are carried, then South Australia will move away from the pursuit of ëuniformity.í  Our stateís laws will become, instead, the model that all Australia wanted to pursue in 1996.î

Under Ian Gilfillanís proposed amendments :

• anyone convicted of any intentional act of violence (with or without a weapon) in the last five years will be ineligible to acquire a firearms licence;
• anyone so convicted will automatically lose their licence, and police will be empowered to search for and confiscate their firearm(s);
• ìpersonal protectionî will be specifically excluded as reason for acquiring a firearm, holding it or using it;
• the Firearms Registrar (the Police Commissioner) will be required to inspect proposed firearms storage facilities before granting a licence;
• anyone under 18 will be unable to hold a firearms licence; and
• ìpaint-ballî and other firearms games will be banned.

The Democrats move comes on the eve of a firearms control seminar in Adelaide, featuring Australian international lawyer and gun control advocate, Rebecca Peters.   The seminar tomorrow (9am to 1pm) at the Art Gallery on North Terrace, also features expert speakers on mental health, injury prevention, and firearms registration and licencing.  Bookings are essential.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:  Ian Gilfillan  8237 9278

 
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