cuchulainn
Member
What really bothers me is that the concern seems to be about how warrantless searches will affect the sport, not about the simple fact that warrantless searches are considered legitimate. For an American like me, the disconnect is just boggling. 
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/02/15/1044927849865.html
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/02/15/1044927849865.html
Sport shooters face clampdown
February 16 2003
By Kirsty Simpson
State Reporter
Police will be able to enter houses without a warrant and seize handguns belonging to sporting shooters if the owner failed to attend sufficient competitions under proposed tough new firearms laws.
And people found with banned pistols could be liable for prison sentences of up to 10 years, according to those who have seen the legislation, which was prompted by the Monash University shootings last year.
But the new laws, expected to be introduced into the Victorian Parliament by early March, have sparked outrage from some shooters, who claim it threatens to decimate their sport.
The laws are designed to ensure only legitimate sporting shooters can keep their guns stored at home.
Recent federal customs changes, which limit the import or export of handguns, have already resulted in shooters being unable to compete in some international competitions or attract competitors to Australian tournaments, according to David Barton of the Victorian branch of the Sporting Shooters Association.
Up to half of the state's pistol shooters will leave the sport as a result of the state and federal laws, Mr Barton said. "Whether these are the intended or unintended consequences is a moot point, but all of this will add nothing to public safety," he said.
Premier Steve Bracks confirmed during the week that handgun laws would be among the first laws to be introduced by the second-term Labor Government. All states agreed to a crackdown on handguns after the deaths of two students and the wounding of five more at Monash University in October last year.
But a spokesman for Police and Corrections Minister Andre Haermeyer said the Government could not comment further on the proposals because they had not yet been approved by cabinet.
The Federal and state governments agreed to the broad outlines of a ban of semi-automatic handguns and some other varieties of hand-guns two months ago. Government officials are cautiously optimistic that the finer details will be agreed at the next Council of Australian Governments meeting, in time for the buyback to begin on July 1, as scheduled.
Once the states pass the laws, more than 500 different models of handguns will become illegal and a $100 million nationwide buyback program will begin. The ban is expected to remove from circulation about 20 per cent of Australia's 166,000 licensed handguns.
Brett Inder, an associate professor at Monash and one of the men who disarmed the alleged shooter, welcomed the new laws.
Mr Inder said he was happy to see sporting shooters have access to pistols but added that handguns should not be stored at home in the wider community. "The sooner and stronger, the better," Mr Inder said of the new laws.
Police Association secretary Paul Mullett said he welcomed the new laws, particularly in the present uncertain environment, but said it would be an extra burden on resources.
"We are hoping that the Government will deliver on its promise of an extra 600 new police officers," he said.
Copyright © 2003 The Age Company Ltd
