- WA firearms dealers can hand over guns to Western
Australia Police in return for cash
- The dealer buyback offers business owners an
opportunity to unload stock before implementation of the nation's toughest gun
laws
- New regulations strengthen rules around supply
of guns for hunting purposes
- Modernised licensing system to result in cost
savings for gun owners
The
Cook Government today announced it will pay licensed gun dealers in Western
Australia for surrendered stock ahead of the nation's toughest firearm laws
coming into effect.
Between now and 17
January 2025, licensed WA firearms dealers can hand over guns to the WA Police
in return for up to $1,000 in cash, depending on the type, style, calibre and age
of each weapon.
The
dealer buyback will see thousands of guns removed from towns and suburbs across
the State and follows the success of the Cook Government's multimillion-dollar voluntary
firearm buyback program, which resulted in close to 40,000 guns being handed in
and destroyed over a six-month period.
It also allows individual
firearm owners who chose not to participate in the previous buyback a further
opportunity to sell their guns.
WA's new firearm laws
will be enforced from March 2025, placing a limit on the number of guns an
individual can own and significantly hardening the rules around ownership.
Under the outdated
legislation, to obtain a gun for hunting purposes an individual is required to
get permission from a property owner to shoot on their land. Currently, the number
of property letters (written authorities) in circulation bears no relationship
to property size and control of vermin with just eight properties in WA enabling
close to 15,000 gun licences.
New requirements will restrict
the number of property letters allowed to be distributed to a maximum of 15 per
property subject to size, location and prevalence of pests.
It will also become
illegal for property owners to sell property letters, with a fine of $5,000.
Falsifying a written
authority carries a maximum penalty of a year behind bars and a $12,000 fine. All
current property letters will become void when an individual gun owner renews
their licence.
In addition, property
owners who allow recreational hunting on their land will manage active
authorisations on a new digital platform, enabling greater control and
providing police with real-time oversight.
The one-stop online
destination will also allow people to easily pay for and renew their firearms
licences. This modernised licensing system means individual firearms owners
will benefit from considerable cost savings. For example, an individual hunter
or competition shooter will save more than $293.67 on fees over five years.
Comments attributed to Police Minister Paul Papalia:
"The licensed dealer gun buyback provides an opportunity for the industry
to hand in their weapons before our tough new firearm laws come into effect.
"Almost 40,000 guns were handed back to police as part of our voluntary
gun buyback program and we anticipate thousands of additional guns to be
offloaded by licensed dealers in the coming months.
"Our new gun laws are the
strictest in the nation and prioritise public safety above all else.
"The new legislation not
only limits the number of guns an individual can own but makes it harder for
guns to fall into the wrong hands.
"I encourage anyone who
didn't take part in the previous buyback to consider selling their unneeded
firearms to a dealer prior to the January deadline.
"The modernisation of a
new digital licensing system will see hunters and competition shooters benefit
from considerable cost savings when applying for, or renewing, a firearms
licence."
