States agree on gun control code
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Hobart.
The states took a tentative step towards uniform gun laws
yesterday when police ministers agreed to establish a national gun-control code
on shooter licensing, mail-order sale, safety training and secure storage.
The Federal Government will also further restrict the importation
of ammunition and machine pistols. But those attending the Australian Police
Ministers Council yesterday left unresolved a national argument on the
registration of all guns.
The federal Justice Minister, Mr Kerr, described yesterday's code
decision as ``a step towards uniformity".
He said quick responses to shooting tragedies in different states
in recent years had led to ad hoc, potentially conflicting standards. Now
ministers had set up a mechanism to take a more considered, long-term view.
Mr Kerr said the latest statistics showed that in 1993, only about
70 of Australia's 526 firearm deaths involved violent crime.
The planned code was welcomed by Victoria's Police Minister, Mr
McNamara, as the most significant improvement in decades, and one that would
remedy Victorian concerns about the effect of more relaxed laws in other
states.
``It's the hoons and lunatics that everyone wants to see firearms
removed from," he said. ``We need to look at measures where we can more
closely interact with mental health authorities so that we can identify
persons who should be prohibited from obtaining firearms."
The NSW Police Minister, Mr Paul Whelan, did not attend the meeting
and is awaiting a briefing. Mr Kerr was confident that NSW and the other
absent states, Queensland and the Northern Territory, would agree with the
proposals.
While all jurisdictions now follow the principle that firearms be
securely stored, the provision was variously interpreted. A Western
Australian model is being proposed in which guns must be kept in
steel cabinets with separate lockable ammunition storage.
The Victorian Justice Department is to coordinate the development
of the code, which will be put before the next Police Ministers' Council
meeting in Tasmania in November.
The Commonwealth's tightening of imports will outlaw a variety of
ammunition, including military ammunition greater than 12.7mm, tracer
bullets, armour-piercing and flechette ammunition.
Imports of standard hollow-point and soft-nosed ammunition will
still be allowed, but a prohibition on military-style weapons will be
extended to pistols configured as semi-automatic machineguns.
The president of the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia, Mr
Ted Drane, said there were up to four million licensed shooters who ought to
be consulted before changes were made to gun laws.
``We will never have national gun registration because
that would mean that too many people (politicians) would lose their seats if
they did in places like Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania," he
said.
A spokesman said Victoria's chief commissioner of police, Mr Neil
Comrie, said he supported uniform gun laws.
THE PROPOSED GUN CONTROL CODE.
Recognition of licensing, perhaps with a categorisation system.
Control of mail order firearm sales.
Firearm safety training standards.
Pistol registration methods.
Secure storage standards.
Regulations governing types of ammunition are to be tightened.
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