More resources needed

The Sporting Shooters Association of Australia Inc. has called upon the Federal government to put more resources into the problem of illicit firearms. The SSAA's Executive Director of Public Relations & International Affairs, Mr Keith Tidswell, said the Association questions a recent Australian Institute of Criminology report which argues that the bulk of guns used in crimes are stolen from licensed shooters. Mr Tidswell said “The AIC study quotes New Zealand research which has already been called into question. The fact is there is no reliable information on the number of guns smuggled into Australia.”

Mr Tidswell went on to say that without reliable information on illicit trafficking and reliable data on firearms theft, it was invalid to suggest that most guns on the black market were stolen from legitimate shooters. “Now that the AIC's report has shown that licensed firearm owners are not responsible for gun crime, it appears the government is trying to condemn them indirectly by pointing to supposedly lax storage arrangements” he said. “The fact is no one knows exactly where the bulk of illicit firearms come from and it's time the government put some resources into finding out.”

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