Not that hard but seems to be if you're the WA Government. I often wonder do they hope for more incidents so they can slowly phase out all legal firearms ownership or are they just out to lunch like so many other issues they've either ignored or botched when they did finally attend to them?
Barry's Firearms has been broken into twice, once that allegedly included deprivation of liberty & assault. It was also stated that the security at that Gun Shop exceeded the required Government standards.
Well in the early hours of this morning Claremont Firearms in Yangebup was broken into. No word on what was stolen and the shop is closed today as they help police with their investigation.
Is there a solution? Yes there possibly is but it requires some brains & fortitude so legal firearms owners & lawful Gun Shops aren't adversely impacted. Yes its easy.
1) Introduce a permanent "Smart Amnesty" - One where un-licenced firearms are handed into gun dealers. Those handing them in can remain anonymous if they so choose. They can then be sorted. Those that are un-registerable can then be handed into Police for destruction. Those of serviceable order can be then sold to approved firearms owners by the normal application process, whether they be Cat A, B, C, H or even a Collector's Licence.
2) Because gun shops don't buy the firearms that are handed in, they get cost recovery in any sale. The incentive to hand firearms in...simple.
Change the penalty range for theft, possession, possession with intent to sell or supply of firearms to attract a 15 year jail sentence (Minimum) with each firearm being a separate offence with a separate penalty. If you steal or possess a stolen or illegal firearm 15 years. If its 15 firearms then 150 years, you're going to jail for the duration of your natural born life.
This then increases the safety of securely stored firearms in private homes or gun shops without even altering the already compliant storage they already have.
Example - Kim's grandfather came home from WW2 with a captured German Luger 9mm. Its not licenced, its been in the family since the war. Kim has several options, do nothing and risk a hefty jail term, surrender it to a gun shop for sale or destruction via the WA Police (at the Gun Shops discretion & profit margin) or Kim can surrender it pending an application with either normal Cat H licence or a Collectors Licence. If Kim meets the criteria and has an approved application then Kim gets to own the pistol 100% legally. If Kim fails the application process the Gun Shop can on sell it to a collector or approved purchaser or it can be handed into WA Police for destruction.
Net result, we lessen the gun black market, we lessen the unknown illegal stock pile, we destroy unsafe and/or unregisterable firearms & we convert those usable, collectable firearms to legally owned, fully registered firearms.
The state government is not forking out big dollars for illegal firearms in a buy back and gun shops get cost recovery whilst lessening the likelihood of theft of firearms or possession of stolen/illegal firearms.
There's then no further unfair and detrimental impact on those law abiding firearm owners who are actually doing the right thing & we get guns off the streets & target criminals
Its sensible, its smart, its effective which is probably why the WA Labor Government won't do it.
Dear Mr McGowan & Minister Roberts...it really is this simple. Please, get onto it
