By The Remington 7615 and Section 26B (4), WA Firearms Regulations 1974
DATE: May 2021
AUTHOR: SIFA
Executive Summary
The Shooting Industry Foundation of Australia (SIFA)requests that the WA Police Minister address an artificial barrier to trade arising from an anomaly in the WA Firearms Regulations 1974.
The Remington 7615 pump-action rifle has been tabled in Section 26B (4), making it prohibited from ownership and use in Western Australia. This addition was done on 12 Jan 2007, and despite our best efforts and communication with WA Police Licensing Enforcement Division, we are unable to ascertain with any degree of certainty the reasons why this particular firearm was tabled in this section.
The Remington 7615 is a .223 / 5.56 X 45mm calibre pump-action rifle that is commercially available for purchase and use by appropriately licensed persons in all jurisdictions across Australia as a Category B firearm, except for Western Australia.
This paper looks to examine the current legal firearms market in WA and seeks to highlight that despite whatever the historical reasons were for adding the Remington 7615 to Section 26B (4), that there is no current justification to continue having it scheduled in such a manner.
Various examples supporting the case to remove the Remington 7615 from 26B (4) are highlighted in this document; however, none are more evidentiary than the availability of the Remington 7600. The Remington 7600 is practically identical in appearance to the Remington 7615 and is of the same action (being a pumpaction rifle), it is also chambered in a larger centrefire calibre (.308 Win). Our research shows us that over 10,000 Remington 7600’s have been directly imported and sold in Western Australia.
This fact alone emphasises the frivolity of the Remington 7615 being tabled in 26B (4), and highlights the question; why can licensed shooters in WA possess a Remington 7600 chambered in .308 Winchester, but not a Remington 7615 chambered in .223 Remington?
When you combine the availability of the Remington7600 with all the other legally obtainable pump-action and straight-pull firearms in WA that are of a similar calibre, operation and appearance to the Remington 7615, the question as to why this firearm is tabled in Section 26b (4) is further amplified.
SIFA is of the opinion that this report clearly demonstrates that based on the current market of available firearms in WA that the Remington 7615 adds no additional risk to public safety and as such, moves should be made to remove it from Section 26B (4) of the WA Firearms Regulations 1974.
