Conversations around firearms ownership in Australia often carry the stigmas associated with the extremes of mass shootings and what is commonly seen in the USA.
The Australian Values Party (AVP) supports responsible firearms ownership, in accordance with current legislation that allows law abiding Australians to own and access firearms. This includes provisions for employment, farming, recreational and sporting related activities.
AVP has conducted extensive community and law enforcement engagement in developing our approach to this policy. We have identified that some state level legislations discriminate against certain demographics (e.g. military veterans).
The Australian Values Party will take action to engage state and territory legislation decision makers in order to better support appropriate regulation of gun laws and firearms licensing in Australia, with the following initial key areas of concern:
- Risks to access due to constantly evolving laws that impact law abiding firearms owners, instead of the criminals they are intended for.
- Lack of cohesion and commonality across state and territory legislation.
- Lack of appropriate classification access for employment, farming, sporting and competition provisions.
- Removal of appearance laws – to be appropriate to the actual function.
- More common sense legislation and regulation of registered firearms ranges and shooting clubs to better support responsible ownership, training, education and access.
The AVP will also work to secure greater resourcing for Australian Federal Police border security operations targeting the illegal importation of firearms and firearms componentry, and tougher sentencing for gun crimes including trafficking.