Firearms Bill Petition

In last year’s Parliamentary session, we saw the introduction of the Firearms and Weapons Legislation Amendment (Criminal Use) Bill 2020 introduced by the Government.

For those involved in shooting, hunting and indeed any sport or activity that uses a firearm, this bill has dire repercussions.

The NSW Government sought no consultation from any shooting groups. We had no representation in the drafting of this bill, and now we see why.
Leader of the SFF Robert Borsak is the Chair of the committee that is leading the inquiry into the impacts this bill will have on the law-abiding firearm owners of New South Wales.

So far, there have been two hearings held where representatives of our community have been able to have their say, at last.

The inquiry will resume in April of this year.

Mr Borsak spoke to the genuine issue of the disproportionate impact this has on our rural and regional communities who use firearms as tools of their trade and sporting shooters need to maintain their equipment to stay in competition.
He spoke of the South Australian legislation. There are explicit exemptions for law-abiding firearms owners with registered firearms in South Australia, thus ensuring protection for those who follow the law.

Many issues came out of the two hearings that the SFF believe do not pass the pub test.
Since the days of John Howard, law-abiding firearms owners have seen a loss of civil rights that no other citizens in NSW experience, this bill is an extension of these violations.
Law-abiding firearm owners deserve the same standard of civil rights that all others in New South Wales experience, there is no exemption for us in this bill, which is why Mr Borsak inquired regarding the South Australian exemptions. The bill introduces the idea of a firearm precursor.

A precursor could be anything found in your workshop or tool shed that a police officer believes could make a firearm or firearm part.

For example, metal forging equipment, casting or milling items, or even a can of WD40, regardless of whether a firearm part is produced.
The legislation is open to the loose interpretation of overzealous or inexperienced police officers and fails to differentiate between criminals and law-abiding firearms owner.

Further to firearm precursors, it is now unclear as to what sort of maintenance a law-abiding firearm owner can perform on their registered firearm.
As we all know, we are required by the Firearms Registry, as per the memorandums, to maintain our firearm by cleaning it and sighting it in. Under these new laws, an inexperienced police officer could see that as modifying your firearm, or the items used to conduct the maintenance could be seen as a precursor.

What‘s more, the possession of these precursor items, whether they are made into a firearm or not, has a 20-year sentence, whereas possession of an illegal firearm has a 10-year sentence.
Again, Mr Borsak clarified a simple exemption for law-abiding firearm owners, with registered firearms, could avoid this.

At no point during his line of inquiries regarding these exemptions could a Government member explain why consultation had not been sort from shooting representatives or the South Australian model.

The SFF know the real issue with the illicit firearms industry is from stolen weapons, that is what the statistics support. The solution to that is better training for police and simply better policing. Instead, this Government has chosen to restrict law-abiding firearm owners further hoping they can legislate us out of existence.