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Anger on two fronts over new gun law
By MICHELLE PAINE
10apr03
HORDES of pre-1900 firearms held by some Midlands landowners would have to be registered under new gun legislation, the Tasmanian Firearm Owners Association said yesterday.
Meanwhile, the National Coalition for Gun Control said the bill was a "spectacular failure" because gun-owners would simply swap one class of lethal semi-automatic handguns for another.
Firearm Owners president John Green said the buyback scheme should extend to unregistered guns so people holding on to "their grandfather`s World War I firearms" would hand them in.
However, people had collections dating back to before 1900 which were basically harmless, he said.
"There hasn't been a shooting with an antique gun since Ned Kelly's time," said Mr Green.
"It`s the old adage: registration turns to confiscation. This won't tackle the problem of guns owned by criminals or the ones people have sitting in the back of the cupboard that could fall into the hands of kids or criminals."
Mr Green said the requirement to register pre-1900 guns would also devalue collections sometimes used as superannuation.
The Tasmanian legislation tabled on Tuesday is in line with national changes initiated after the fatal Monash University shooting in October.
National Coalition for Gun Control chairman Roland Browne said the amendments were a spectacular failure in removing handguns from the hands of civilians.
The group wants all high-powered, semi-automatic handguns banned.
"In the short term there will be 1000 fewer handguns in Tasmania because short-barrelled handguns and those with a magazine capacity of more than 10 rounds will be prohibited," Mr Browne said.
He said owners compensated in the buyback scheme would simply buy another semi-automatic handgun.
"We will substitute longer-barrelled, high-powered, semi-automatic handguns having 10-round magazines for shorter-barrelled, high-powered, semi-automatic handguns with magazines of more than 10 rounds," he said.
He said the longer barrel to be made legal was even more lethal because it was more accurate.
http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6261285^3462,00.html
By MICHELLE PAINE
10apr03
HORDES of pre-1900 firearms held by some Midlands landowners would have to be registered under new gun legislation, the Tasmanian Firearm Owners Association said yesterday.
Meanwhile, the National Coalition for Gun Control said the bill was a "spectacular failure" because gun-owners would simply swap one class of lethal semi-automatic handguns for another.
Firearm Owners president John Green said the buyback scheme should extend to unregistered guns so people holding on to "their grandfather`s World War I firearms" would hand them in.
However, people had collections dating back to before 1900 which were basically harmless, he said.
"There hasn't been a shooting with an antique gun since Ned Kelly's time," said Mr Green.
"It`s the old adage: registration turns to confiscation. This won't tackle the problem of guns owned by criminals or the ones people have sitting in the back of the cupboard that could fall into the hands of kids or criminals."
Mr Green said the requirement to register pre-1900 guns would also devalue collections sometimes used as superannuation.
The Tasmanian legislation tabled on Tuesday is in line with national changes initiated after the fatal Monash University shooting in October.
National Coalition for Gun Control chairman Roland Browne said the amendments were a spectacular failure in removing handguns from the hands of civilians.
The group wants all high-powered, semi-automatic handguns banned.
"In the short term there will be 1000 fewer handguns in Tasmania because short-barrelled handguns and those with a magazine capacity of more than 10 rounds will be prohibited," Mr Browne said.
He said owners compensated in the buyback scheme would simply buy another semi-automatic handgun.
"We will substitute longer-barrelled, high-powered, semi-automatic handguns having 10-round magazines for shorter-barrelled, high-powered, semi-automatic handguns with magazines of more than 10 rounds," he said.
He said the longer barrel to be made legal was even more lethal because it was more accurate.
http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6261285^3462,00.html
