August 2011 President message
SSAA National responds to knife consultation paper
SSAA National recently responded to an Australian Customs and Border Protection Service consultation paper to ensure changes to any regulations do not have an adverse effect on our 134,000-plus members. The paper looks at what Customs termed ‘non-firearm weapons’ and covered the whole gamut of knives, as well as other items such as knuckle-dusters and hand-held electric shock devices, that can be imported into Australia.
While not directly firearms related, SSAA National recognises that many of our members use knives for their hunting and outdoor activities. Many members also collect the items, therefore making it a worthwhile topic to comment on.
In July last year, the Minister for Home Affairs Brendan O’Connor announced that if the current Federal Government was re-elected, stricter controls would be introduced for a number of items they consider to be ‘weapons that have no legitimate domestic or commercial use in Australia’. The Government’s plan is to introduce requirements for individuals to demonstrate their ‘legitimate use’ for the items.
In our response to the paper, SSAA National highlighted issues in several areas, including the definition that Customs provides for ‘weapons’ and ‘warfare items’, as the wording is left quite broad and all-encompassing.
We also highlighted issues with the ‘flick test’ used on knives being imported into Australia. It has been reported that Customs officers have been using excessive force to attempt to ‘flick’ open some imported knives and therefore have personal reason to not allow the import to go ahead.
This is the second Customs paper SSAA National has provided feedback on this year, with the SSAA commenting on proposed amendments to the Firearms Importation Regime in March.
Greek philosopher Plato (c. 428/427 BC - c. 348/347 BC) once wrote: “Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.” Similarly, in both of SSAA National’s Customs submissions, we have argued that people are morally responsible for their own actions, and that any person intent on causing harm or breaking the law will do so with the tools they have readily available to them. It is therefore necessary for law enforcement and regulations to focus on the individuals behaving illegally and not the tool they utilise.
The full comment provided by SSAA National on the proposed amendments to the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 can be found on the Capital News section of www.ssaa.org.au
Bob Green
SSAA National President
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