There are nearly 90,000 fewer guns in WA after firearms shake-up
There are around 90,000 fewer firearms and 11,200 fewer gun license holders in WA than in January 2022, when the Labor government began rewriting the state’s gun laws.
According to the figures given WAtoday According to Police Minister Reece Whitby, there were 272,453 licensed firearms and 77,781 individual gun license holders in the state as of December 12.
This represents a drop of more than a quarter in the number of licensed firearms compared to early 2022, when there were approximately 360,000 firearms and approximately 89,000 gun licenses in the state.
WA’s gun laws have been thrust into the national spotlight as the New South Wales government introduces reforms to its gun laws following the Bondi terror attack using legally acquired weapons.
Whitby said such a large reduction in two years was a “strong result” and demonstrated the success of buyback programmes, tough legislation and relentless police work.
“These figures show that our strong gun laws are working and making the Western Australian community safer,” he said.
“We have taken guns out of the hands of outlaw motorcycle gangs, sovereign citizens and serious domestic violence offenders, and that saves lives.
“Fewer guns means a safer state, and we thank responsible firearm owners as we prioritize community safety.”
Since comprehensive gun reforms were first announced in January 2022, the state government has conducted six gun buyback periods.
The current buyback period, which the government says is the last, covers rapid-fire weapons and will end on January 14.
In Thursday’s mid-year budget update, the WA government added another $7 million to its buyback fund, bringing total spending over the past two years to nearly $30 million.
The state also pledged $5.5 million to roll out the reform program and another $2.8 million to help launch the online firearms portal; This was the subject of harsh parliamentary scrutiny after a problematic implementation left thousands of firearms owners unable to access the portal.
Some of the revoked firearm licenses include licenses revoked by the police.
In response to questions in parliament in November, the government announced that the firearms licenses of 495 people were canceled and 1,383 weapons were confiscated due to mandatory disqualification offences.
These included a group of sovereign citizens with their weapons drawn After Police Commissioner Col Blanch decided that they were not fit and proper to own guns under stricter gun laws.
The new laws include tougher restrictions on weapons storage, forcing the Ministry for Primary Industries and Regional Development to upgrade its own storage facilities to the tune of $1.1 million.
But Nationals leader Shane Love shot down Whitby’s claims the laws were successful.
“I don’t know if you’d call it a success as much as calling it a demonstration that people who have legally acquired firearms and have used them for decades without issue have had to surrender their firearms because of these laws,” he said.
Love said anecdotally, competitive shooters have been hit the hardest because there are fewer shooting clubs in the state, making it harder to become a member of a club, which is a requirement for a competition firearms license.
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Hamish Hastie is WAtoday’s state political correspondent and the winner of five WA Media Awards, including the 2023 Beck Award for best political journalism.Connect with: excitement or email.
