Legislative Council
FIREARMS
COLLECTORS CLUBS
(edited transcript)
The Hon. IAN GILFILLAN: I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Attorney-General, representing the Minister for Police, Correctional Services and Emergency Services, a question about firearms collectors clubs.
Leave granted. The Hon. IAN GILFILLAN: The Firearms Act provides that a firearms licence may be denied or cancelled and a firearm seized by the police if the holder is `not a fit and proper person'. There is no limit to the grounds on which a person may be deemed to be `not fit and proper'. The grounds listed in section 5 of the Act include: if you have failed to carry or store firearms safely; if you have been convicted of any actual or threatened violence, any firearms offence, any fraud or deception; or if you have been the subject of a domestic violence restraining order. Gun club officials must not only be `fit and proper', like all shooters, but they also may have the added responsibility of being authorised to act as official witnesses when weapons are bought and sold. Office holders of firearms clubs also have an obligation to notify the Firearms Registrar if any member of their club `is suffering from a physical or mental illness, disability or deficiency that is likely to make the possession of a firearm by the member unsafe.' An official from a firearms collectors club who contacted me was most concerned that the good name of most firearms collectors was in danger of being tarnished by a few people on the fringe of this particular club activity. He feels that too few checks are being carried out on those who are entrusted with these club responsibilities. He informed me of one firearms collectors club which meets in a suburban RSL hall where alcohol is served and which allows firearms to be traded in that public venue. I am told that no security checks are undertaken on these occasions and that no-one knows whether firearms carried onto or off the premises are transported safely or while loaded.I should point out that firearms collectors are in a special category amongst gun owners. They have access to class C and class H firearms to which most others are denied. Statistics provided by the Government also indicate that almost every licensed firearms collector is also licensed to shoot. It would therefore make sense if firearms collectors clubs were subject to more scrutiny than other firearms clubs because their members, by definition, have access to an arsenal of weapons. With this in mind, I wrote to the Minister for Police, Correctional Services and Emergency Services late last year and asked:
What checks, if any, are carried out on recognised firearms clubs or their office holders to ensure continued compliance with the Act? I also drew the attention of the Minister to the fact that the number of firearms collectors clubs has grown in recent years from eight to 13. The answer was that such checks are done only `when considered necessary'. Minister Brokenshire also said: Due to the number of clubs and limited resources in the Police Firearms Section, there is no set time period for the ongoing inspection checks. It should be noted that this applies to not all firearms licence holders but merely to responsible office holders, those few who, more than any other shooter or gun collector, ought to be `fit and proper persons' to hold their positions of trust. I ask the Minister: 1. Will he ensure that adequate resources are made available so that the under-resourced Police Firearms Section can conduct regular checks on office holders of firearms clubs? 2. Will the Government assure the public that gun clubs in this State, especially collectors clubs, are being run only by those who are deemed `fit and proper persons' according to the Act?The Hon. K.T. GRIFFIN: I will refer those questions to my colleague in another place and bring back a reply.
Read the Government's Reply: 10 March 1999