The Adler A110 lever-action shotgun in its seven-shot configuration remains banned from importation after State Police Ministers and members of The Law, Crime and Community Safety Subcommittee (LCCSC) failed to agree on recategorisation. The lever-action shotgun in its five-shot capacity remains available to licensed shooters.
The SSAA has continuously warned against the recategorisation of any firearms when there is no evidence to support a benefit to community safety. Legislation and regulation based on hysterical emotion or fear mongering is bad governance.
For the past 18 months, the SSAA and other firearms sports and industry groups have counselled, met with and provided written submissions to the Federal and state governments, with little evidence that they have progressed with any positive changes to firearms laws. For now, it appears the National Firearms Agreement (NFA) review is destined to remain in limbo and with that a lost opportunity to cut red tape for firearms owners and government departments.
The SSAA also notes today’s release of the newly named body, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) report on Enhancing the national picture of illicit firearms.
The main findings of the report include the fact that outlaw motorcycle gangs continue to traffic illicit firearms, that online trading of illegal firearms is growing and that there may well be many more than 250,000 illegal and unregistered longarms in Australia – something that we have been stating for many years.
We support the intelligence and policing efforts into the illegal movement and use of firearms, as time and time again crimes involving firearms are committed by an unlicensed shooter with an unregistered firearm.
Despite the NFA review being stuck in limbo, we encourage our 180,000-plus members to contact your State or Territory Police Minister as well as local your state and federal parliamentary members to raise your concerns.