STATEMENT ON THE NATIONAL FIREARMS AGREEMENT

The Palaszczuk Government will never support a weakening of our gun laws.

Under the Palaszczuk Government, Queensland will remain part of John Howard’s world-renown National Firearms Agreement.

The LNP’s election policy on firearm regulations is clearly the LNP sucking up to One Nation.

Tim Nicholls has to come clean – is he weakening our gun laws as part of a preference deal he has done with One Nation?

What concerns me is that nowhere in their policy does the LNP refer to their commitment to the NFA.

In fact, the LNP’s proposed removal of the genuine reasons criteria for re-applications for category H licence holders to hold concealable hand guns is a blatant watering down of gun laws and a further deviation from the NFA.

Insultingly, the LNP has also implied the QPS Weapons Licencing Branch has not been complying with the law. Such allegations are offensive to our hardworking police officers and the LNP should immediately withdraw these outrageous claims.

In its policy document, the LNP has also claimed that there has been no consultation with the firearm industry when, in fact, I have personally chaired four meetings in eight months with the Firearms Advisory Forum which I established to ensure everyone has a voice at the table.

What’s more, this Forum has met much more often than the LNP’s plan for a three-monthly meeting and is more inclusive involving representatives from:

• Queensland Law Society
• Queensland Homicide Victims Support Group
• Queensland Shooter Union
• AGFORCE
• Griffith University
• Queensland Rifle Association
• Firearms Dealers
• Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (Qld)
• Firearms Dealers Association of Queensland
• Queensland Police Union
• Queensland Police Weapons Licencing Branch
• Australian Airsoft Council

The LNP is proposing automatic renewal of Category H licences with just a ‘fit and proper person’ test.

Under the current laws, gun owners must re-apply and, as well as showing they are a fit and proper person, they must have a genuine reason to hold a concealable hand gun.

The LNP has to come clean. Is its policy to weaken gun laws part of a preference deal with One Nation?

Why would the LNP turn its back on John Howard’s bipartisan NFA?

John Howard’s brave adoption of the NFA following the Port Arthur massacre 20 years ago was the right thing to do – our nation is safer – Queensland is safer.

In the 18 years between 1979 and 1996, there were 13 fatal mass shooting incidents in Australia.

These incidents resulted in a total of 104 deaths, with at least another 52 people injured.

There have been no fatal mass shooting incidents in Australia since the introduction of the National Firearms Agreement and the initial gun buyback in 1996 and 1997.

What more proof does the LNP need?