Firearms Management Systems to Keep Australians Safe
Australian states and territories committed to enacting baseline firearms controls via the National Firearms Agreement 1996. The NFA was reaffirmed by all Australian jurisdictions in 2017.
Australian licenced firearms owners are among the most heavily vetted members of our communities – and are subject to ongoing obligations around personal behaviour, safe storage and use, and genuine need.
Australian firearms laws are extremely strict and differ in scope and intent from those of all other nations.
In recent times, Australia’s firearms controls have focused resources on how firearms look and how firearms are loaded. This focus contributes nothing to Australian community safety.
Australia’s focus must immediately turn to a national Firearms Management System so that law enforcement has access to real time, decision critical, quality data about who is licensed, what they are permitted to own and where those firearms are held.
All Australian jurisdictions agreed to this in 1996 and reaffirmed their commitment in 2017. No Australian jurisdiction is positioned in 2019 to uphold this commitment to the Australian people.
All Australian jurisdictions must commit to a National Firearms Interface.
Any other focus would be a betrayal of Australian communities’ expectation that our elected representatives, regulators and law enforcement organisations will keep us safe.
