Drizzt
Member
The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, Australia)
May 30, 2003 Friday
SECTION: LOCAL; Pg. 10
LENGTH: 223 words
HEADLINE: Handgun buy-back delayed 3 months
SOURCE: MATP
BYLINE: LILLIAN SALEH
BODY:
A HANDGUN buy-back funded by the Government will not be in place until October 1 -- three months after it was meant to be implemented.
The announcement yesterday by Police Minister John Watkins follows revelations by The Daily Telegraph of major problems with gun-related crime, including a shooting occurring every second day in Sydney.
Mr Watkins yesterday conceded that "more needs to be done" to reduce the number of handguns on our streets.
"As a country, we simply need to do more to reduce the number of illegal handguns both entering the country and circulating among violent criminals.
"Illegal handguns represent a major threat to the community," Mr Watkins said.
The buy-back scheme was accepted by the Council of Australian Government in December, with the ban date to be July 1.
Yesterday Mr Watkins announced the ban will not be enforced until October 1.
The Daily Telegraph yesterday exclusively revealed that police will tour NSW in special vans, paying cash for 21,000 banned weapons before destroying them.
Under the buy-back, semi-automatic handguns with a barrel length less than 120mm and revolvers and single-shot handguns with a barrel length of less than 100mm will be banned.
However, gun owners can bypass the new laws by paying for costly modifications to lengthen the guns' barrels.
May 30, 2003 Friday
SECTION: LOCAL; Pg. 10
LENGTH: 223 words
HEADLINE: Handgun buy-back delayed 3 months
SOURCE: MATP
BYLINE: LILLIAN SALEH
BODY:
A HANDGUN buy-back funded by the Government will not be in place until October 1 -- three months after it was meant to be implemented.
The announcement yesterday by Police Minister John Watkins follows revelations by The Daily Telegraph of major problems with gun-related crime, including a shooting occurring every second day in Sydney.
Mr Watkins yesterday conceded that "more needs to be done" to reduce the number of handguns on our streets.
"As a country, we simply need to do more to reduce the number of illegal handguns both entering the country and circulating among violent criminals.
"Illegal handguns represent a major threat to the community," Mr Watkins said.
The buy-back scheme was accepted by the Council of Australian Government in December, with the ban date to be July 1.
Yesterday Mr Watkins announced the ban will not be enforced until October 1.
The Daily Telegraph yesterday exclusively revealed that police will tour NSW in special vans, paying cash for 21,000 banned weapons before destroying them.
Under the buy-back, semi-automatic handguns with a barrel length less than 120mm and revolvers and single-shot handguns with a barrel length of less than 100mm will be banned.
However, gun owners can bypass the new laws by paying for costly modifications to lengthen the guns' barrels.