NSW gun laws are tight enough
The District Reporter, page 1. Monday, 15 December, 2008
In the wake of the shooting death of 14-year-old Josef Cruickshank at Orangeville and a spate of drive-by shootings last weekend, the NSW Premier Nathan Rees said a review of gun laws might be considered.
But, acting Superintendent of Camden Police, Inspector Paul Albury, said the laws are already tight enough.
Insp Albury said since the shooting and the subsequent charging of youth in relation to the death, a 40-yearold man was also charged last week with several firearms offences including possessing a loaded firearm, possessing an authorised firearm and not keeping a firearm safely.
The man is the father of a youth charged with murder and is a licensed shooter who also had six firearms, which were lawfully owned and locked away, Insp Albury said.
The Orangeville man attended Camden Police Station last Tuesday where he was arrested.
Insp Albury said while investigations are still continuing and police are piecing together the circumstances of the shooting, he said it was not a rare occurrence in the command.
“We have several thousand licensed shooters in the command…there’s only been a handful of gun-related incidents, the majority of gun owners act responsibly and in accordance with the legislation.
“The procedure of getting a gun license is very tight. We come out and do inspections.”
In the 1990s, there was a gun amnesty and buy-back scheme, which saw thousands of weapons handed in to police stations.
Insp Albury said with tighter gun laws and a major crack down on gun trafficking, “it’s very difficult for people to get a hold of weapons now-a-days”.
He said people who grew up in rural properties are familiar with guns, “it’s a normal way of life to euthanise animals or cull vermin, these people have grown up with that culture”.
He said these people do not use them for violent purposes. Insp Albury also said there were people who are not interested in shooting, but have firearms for occasional uses.
“Then there are people who slip through the cracks.”
Insp Albury said with the recent media attention, there might be some people who own a gun and wondering if they really need them and whether they should be in the house.
“The number of gun-related incidents in this area in miniscule.”
He said if people are concerned, they can hand in their weapons to the station.
“If we have certain information someone may be in possession of unregistered firearms, we have to take it to court.
“If we were asked our opinion (into the Premier’s inquiry about gun ownership and safekeeping), there’s no need to tighten it, there’s a good balance,” Insp Albury said.
He said while the 14-year-old boy charged with murder was well within his right not to answer any questions, police have had to go through due process. He confirmed that the weapon retrieved from the scene was a shotgun.
The youth was granted conditional bail to appear in Campbelltown Children’s Court on January 5. His father was also granted conditional bail to appear before Camden Local Court on January 21. The man’s firearm license remains suspended.
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