Handgun import controls
Minister for Justice and Customs
17 August 2000
Minister for Justice and Customs, Amanda Vanstone, today announced further tighter regulations to control the importation of handguns into Australia, effective from midnight tonight.
"This change is aimed at reducing the diversion of handguns to the black market," Senator Vanstone said.
"Legitimate holders of a handgun licence, such as security personnel, competition shooters and firearm collectors, will not be directly affected by these changes. Firearm licencing and registration remain the responsibility of State and Territory Governments.
"Anyone authorised by State or Territory police to posses a handgun will still be able to import handguns."
Recent Australian Institute of Criminology research highlights a significant increase since 1996 in the proportion of homicides committed with handguns, compared with an overall decline in the total firearm homicide rate over the same period.
From 1995/96 to 1998/99, the percentage of handguns used in firearm-related homicide increased from 13% to 42%. The number of victims of handgun-related homicide has more than doubled in that period. Importantly though, not one handgun used in a homicide between 1997 and 1999 was used by a licenced owner. Only one gun was registered, but to the victim.
"Both the Comonwealth and State/Territory Governments have become increasingly concerned at the number of handguns which have been legally imported into the country but seem to be finishing up in the hands of criminals," Senator Vanstone said.
"This is the problem that these new controls seek to deal with.
"Major risks associated with diversion to the black market stem from the current circumstances whereby dealers can accumlate large stockpiles which are then vulnerable to theft, mismanagement, and in a very small number of cases, fraud.
"The issue of handgun control was raised at the recent meeting of the Australasian Police Ministers' Council, and the meeting agreed to the urgent development of strategies to reduce the number of illegally held handguns.
"While other strategies are being worked out with the States and Territories, the Commonwealth Government has acted quickly to better control the manner in which handguns are released into the community."
Amendments to the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations will require the Australian Custom Service to retain and store handguns imported into Australia until they have been sold to an authorised end-user. This will apply to all handguns coming into the county from tonight, even if they were ordered some time ago. Dealers will not be permitted to import handguns to hold in stock pending sale, although they will be permitted to import up to 10 handguns for the prupose of testing anddemonstrating to prospective customers.
Changes to the Regulations will also assist firearms dealers by permitting them to import up to 5 Category C semi-automatic and pump-action firearms to hold in stock for the purposes of testing and demonstration to propective customers. They were not able to do this before in relation to the Category C guns.
Although the amended Regulations will come into force from tonight, competitors coming to take part in either the Olympic or the Paralympic Games will not be affected.
See SSAA‘s response here Shooters to challenge new regulations
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