Pastoralists angered by gun purge

West Australian, Page: 7. Saturday, 2 August, 2008

Cattle station owners and workers throughout remote WA have become involved in a legal standoff with WA police in the State Administrative Tribunal after being stripped of their handguns and revolvers, which they say are integral to working and living on the land.
Lawyer Ross Williamson, who is representing the group, said police had taken guns from dozens of people in the past 18 months, including some who worked in water where crocodiles lived and mining prospectors who travelled down shafts into pits full of snakes.
The first case involving Pilbara station owner John Anick was heard by Justice Michael Barker at the SAT on Thursday Mr Williamson said his clients had to deal with wild and aggressive cattle and the police argument for revoking the gun licences was “they don ‘t need them”.
“My clients are all people who have got stories of being attacked while working,” he said.
Mr Williamson said most of the men had had the guns for up to 20 years and were bewildered as to why they were being taken from them under laws introduced after Martin Bryant shot dead 35 people at Port Arthur in Tasmania in 1996.
Det-Sen Sgt Shane Atkins said police had taken handguns and licences from about 400 people.
He said legislation no longer provided for pastoralists to have handguns but that the group were not being targeted.
“Some of these people have had firearms for quite a period of time but it is not in compliance with what legislation says at this point in time,” Sen Sgt Shane Atkins said. “It’s a regroup on a number of different levels, we are not just looking specifically at pastoralists.
“Jewellers, for example, 20 or 30 years ago used to possess firearms to protect their holdings, but times have changed.”
Pastoralists and Graziers Association vice-president Ruth Webb-Smith said police did not understand the necessity of handguns to remote workers.
“We live in pretty isolated areas in the bush and we’ve had these handguns as a management tool for the last 100 years,” she said. “When you see injured stock or you need to be protected from stock, if you’re bull catching, it’s pretty important that you are able to have the assistance of a handgun.”
Mrs Webb-Smith, who has lobbied police over the issue, said the last people on Earth likely to use a handgun incorrectly are the pastoralists.
Gindalbie Station owner Steve Tonkin, who still has a handgun he has owned for 27 years, has been told that Kalgoorlie police have a letter requesting he turn his gun in.
“The need for a revolver is becoming greater, the thing that irritates me most is in Kalgoorlie there is probably 300 revolvers in the houses, where people go and shoot at pistol clubs,” he said.
“I want to use the revolver if I get chased by a cow, and if I’m in a dangerous situation that is caused by one of my livestock, I need to be able to try and get myself out of trouble.” Mr Tonkin said the lack of trust was “absolutely ridiculous”.
Justice Barker will deliver his decision next week.