- Toughest firearms laws in Australia to limit the
number of guns a person can own
- New laws balance public safety with the legitimate, responsible
use of firearms
- $64.3 million
voluntary firearm buyback compensation scheme now
open
The largest overhaul of firearms laws in Western Australia's
history enters Parliament today following years of extensive consultation with
licence holders, industry stakeholders and the broader public.
Law changes will enhance public safety by implementing
stricter licensing and storage requirements, introducing compulsory training
and health checks as well as mandatory disqualifying offences. It will also see Western
Australia become the first state or territory to impose a limit on the number
of firearms an individual can own.
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.
A $64.3 million Cook Government funded
voluntary firearm buyback is now open to all individual firearms licence
holders across the State, with owners eligible to receive a maximum of $1,000
dollars for their gun, dependant on type, style, calibre and initial registration
date.
Firearms can be surrendered at
any WA Police station. Unlicensed firearms may be surrendered via the State's
ongoing Amnesty, however, the person in possession is not eligible to receive
compensation.
The buyback will remain open until Saturday,
August 31 2024, or until funding is exhausted.
In addition to rewriting the State's 50-year-old
Firearms Act, 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.
Comments attributed to Premier Roger Cook:
"The
Firearms Bill modernises Western Australia's gun licensing regime and
prioritises public safety above the privilege of owning a firearm.
"New
laws will replace the current five-decades-old Act and see my Government unapologetically
impose the strictest regulations of firearms anywhere in Australia.
"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 in the new legislation, but some current gun owners may
struggle to prove their legitimate need for a licence when the laws change.
"All
individual firearms licence holders are eligible to take part in the voluntary
buyback, and I encourage them to participate before the scheme closes or the
$64 million dollar fund is exhausted."
Comments attributed to Police Minister Paul
Papalia:
"In
accordance with John Howard's National Firearms Agreement, the new laws
recognise the ownership and use of firearms is a privilege, and that responsible
regulation of use, storage and carriage of firearms will improve public safety.
"The
new laws will help keep Western Australians safe for decades to come.
"Exhaustive
consultation has gone into the construction of the new legislation, which
prioritises public safety while recognising the various legitimate reasons people
own and use firearms.
"I
want to thank everyone who engaged and contributed to the comprehensive process
which helped develop the newly created Firearms Bill."
