Rather than trying to have a bob each way and dodge the dangerous, dishonesty of the Liberals gun law policy, the Premier needs to rule out any weakening of gun laws.
Will Hodgman has no mandate for a reckless promise to shooters to allow more lethal weapons in to more people’s hands, a promise that was hidden from voters until the 11th hour of the campaign.
He has no mandate for a policy that would make women and children less safe in their homes and Tasmanians less safe in their communities.
The Liberal policy is in clear breach of the National Firearms Agreement. It proposes to extend the NFA proscribed license period from 5 years to 10, ignoring the fact that a person’s mental condition can deteriorate.
It treats breaches of firearm storage requirements with a slap on the wrist rather than confiscation of weapons as required under the NFA. There is no such thing as a ‘minor storage violation’ where guns are involved.
It would increase the number of pump action and rapid fire shotguns in civilians hands, again in contravention of the NFA.
The Liberals also want to create a new category of weapon that would legalise prohibited rapid fire guns for undefined “certain specialists”, in breach of the NFA.
And, they have promised the shooting lobby that the use of silencers would be allowed on rapid fire weapons in rural areas.
As the Vice Chair of Gun Control Australia, barrister Roland Browne, said after news broke of the Liberal plan, “The use of a silencer on rapid fire shotguns means the introduction into the community of the kind of weapon combination seen in the film ‘No Country for Old Men.’ It represents an extreme threat to public safety.”
The Liberals cannot claim a mandate to weaken gun laws and threaten the future safety of Tasmanians.
Cassy O’Connor MP | Greens’ Leader 7 March 2018
