Groups representing a broad cross-section of the health profession, including nurses, doctors and paramedics, today appealed to the Tasmanian Premier, Will Hodgman, to drop proposals to water down the Port Arthur Gun laws. Proposals being considered by the government include extending the license periods for semi-automatic weapons and a range of other weapons, watering down the penalties for breaching firearm regulations, and establishing a taxpayer funded body for the gun lobby to advise the government on how to further weaken gun laws.
The Legislative Council’s inquiry into gun laws will be closing this Friday the 3rd of August, and the groups will be making submissions to urge the Legislative Council and the Tasmanian government to save lives by upholding and strengthening Tasmania’s gun laws. They are urging all Tasmanians with a concern for public health and safety to make a submission to the Legislative Council inquiry.
“The Alannah & Madeline Foundation takes a great interest in the firearm laws in Tasmania and is really concerned about many of the proposed changes in the government’s Firearm Policy Statement. We hope that Premier Hodgman stands by his commitment that Tasmania will not breach the National Firearms Agreement. This is particularly important for the victims, survivors, responders and all those impacted by the Port Arthur tragedy,” said Stephen Bendle, Advocacy manager, Alannah & Madeline Foundation.
“As recent law graduate I’ve done my best to understand all sides of the argument to the proposed law changes. However, as a nurse with a public health speciality who has cared for patients with life threatening gunshot wounds and lived through the horrors of the Port Arthur massacre, the risks posed by the proposed changes cannot be justified,” said Jen Brown, Vice President, Medics for Gun Control.
“Our members work on the front line and just as importantly behind the scenes supporting Tasmanians and their communities in times of great tragedy. Any watering down of Tasmania’s gun laws will create a greater risk of harm which must be resisted,” said Tim Jacobson, Tasmanian State Secretary, Health & Community Services Union.
“As a student – I do not want to attend funerals for fellow classmates as those in the U.S so often tragically have to. We can’t normalise guns like America has. Since Port Arthur, Australia has highlighted to the world Strict Gun Laws Reduce Gun Deaths,” said Fiona Beer, a 4th year medical student and board member of the RACGP.
“Depression, suicidality and domestic violence are unfortunately all too common in our community,” said GP Dr Phill Pullinger, “In this context, restricting access to guns through strict requirements on licensing and storage of guns is a crucial public health measure that saves lives.”
Since the National Firearms Agreement was established in 1996 after the Port Arthur Massacre, gun deaths in Australia have more than halved. Whilst there were 13 mass shootings in Australia in the 18 years leading up to the Port Arthur Massacre, there were none in Australia in the 20 years following the establishment of the Port Arthur gun laws, until Margaret River in May this year.
Medics for Gun Control are a newly formed group of health professionals concerned about reducing injuries and deaths from guns in Australia, including through upholding and strengthening the National Firearms Agreement.
Medics for Gun Control
