WA gun laws: Farmers welcome legislation rewrite but caution they shouldn’t be lumped in with criminals

Farmers have welcomed news the State’s “archaic” gun laws will be overhauled but fear they will be affected by new rules for criminals as the State Government tries to crack down on firearms. The McGowan government announced on Tuesday it would completely rewrite WA’s outdated firearms laws, releasing a map with green dots showing where a handgun — such as a revolver or pistol — is being stored, and blue dots are for longarm guns such as rifles and shotguns. The number of licenced guns in WA has soared from 218,765 in 2009 to 349,492 in January this year — an increase of 60 per cent in 13 years. During the same time period, the number of WA residents who hold a gun licence has remained static at just over 89,000. This means, on average, each licence holder now has four guns. WA Police Minister Paul Papalia said the current Firearms Act, which dates back to 1974, was too “liberal” despite being sporadically updated over the past 49 years and required a “complete rewrite”. The new Act will elevate “community safety” to be the priority consideration, which would give police the power to refuse an application on those grounds and revoke gun licences from people deemed to be “not fit and proper”. Mr Papalia said other proposed reforms included strengthened training requirements, giving police the power to take guns from those convicted of serious domestic violence and enhanced security and storage rules. “One observation I would make is you’d have to think there’s a lot of those 349,000 firearms out there just sitting around not being used, waiting to be stolen by some criminal who can use them as an illegal firearm,” he said. WAFarmers chief executive Trevor Whittington welcomed the redraft, saying the “archaic” legislation was “clunky and out of date” and he was happy to work with the State Government on the changes. “We have a good working relationship with WA Police and the Minister and he clearly understands guns are an essential tool for people with livestock,” Mr Whittington said. “We are happy to work with the State Government during the next 12 months to make sure firearms stay in the right hands. The changes will bring WA into line with national rules.” Mr Whittington flagged concerns about potential gun licence cost increases in WA, which he said was already the “most expensive place in Australia to own a firearm”. He said limiting pastoralists’ access to handguns could place further restrictions on an already well-regulated use of firearms by country people and would just make life tougher for those living on the land. Liberal MLC Steve Martin, a Wickepin-based member for the Agricultural Region, slammed Mr Papalia’s comment that firearms were “just sitting around”, saying it failed to take into account the ways farmers and pastoralists used guns to control vermin and address animal welfare issues on-farm. “What evidence does the Minister have for his remark that ‘you’d have to think there’s a lot of those 349,000 firearms out there just sitting around not being used, waiting to be stolen by some criminal who can use them as an illegal firearm’?” he said. “It’s a metropolitan view of the world that we have seen too often from this Government. “Firearms in the agricultural sector are necessary and important tools and the licensed owners of these weapons overwhelmingly abide by the rules and regulations.” Mining and Pastoral MLC Neil Thomson, who is based in Broome, said firearms were a “tool of trade for pastoralists and farmers” and their “legitimate use” needed to be recognised by the McGowan government. “The pastoral industry relies on firearms for the management of feral animals... it is vital that any consideration by the State Government targets the issues they claim they will target,” he said. “It is not useful to simply state that there are too many firearms. It needs to state there is clear evidence that any changes to the law will reduce criminal activity.” Drafting of the legislation will be informed by a 2016 Law Reform Commission report that made 120 recommendations, of which just five have so far been acted on. It found several public safety issues, including the inability of police to seize guns automatically from licence holders if they were charged with serious firearm-related offences or other violent crimes. Police will hold a one-month consultation period to the end of April, with the new Act to be drafted over the next year and introduced to the WA Parliament in September 2023. The Labor government gained control of both houses of Parliament at last year’s election, meaning it won’t need to negotiate with the National-Liberal Opposition to pass the laws. The Firearms Act requires a gun owner be notified by police in writing of any decision to cancel their licence. The owner then has three months to surrender or dispose of their weapons. The process could be further delayed if the owner appeals against the seizure to the State Administrative Tribunal, which a number have done so successfully.