The Western Australian Government's recent moves away from a nationally-consistent approach to firearm laws has drawn the ire of the Shooting Industry Foundation of Australia (SIFA).
SIFA chief executive James Walsh is the latest industry figure to comment on WA's contentious firearm reforms, which are being spearheaded by WA Police Minister Paul Papalia and drawn backlash from the State's licensed recreational shooting community.
From information released so far on the government's rewrite of the Firearms Act 1973, Mr Walsh said WA appeared to be "moving further and further away" from a nationally-consistent approach with the State's firearms regulation, and in doing so, was making it more difficult for future Federal frameworks to be created for the Australia's licensed firearm owners.
"The National Firearms Agreement is there and that's what keeps Australians safe, so I am dumbfounded as to why the WA government is choosing to go it alone," Mr Walsh said.
"The WA Government is starting to talk about things like firearms limits and statutory numbers on what can and can't be owned by the State's licensed firearm owners, regardless of genuine reason," Mr Walsh said.
"These are really strange conditions to have, given that the National Firearm Agreement deals with that specifically.
"If WA regulates outside of the National Firearm Agreement, then Australia's other States and Territories will start to regulate outside of that and, all of a sudden, that agreement will not be worth the paper it's printed on."
An example of an initiative which will rely on consistent firearm regulation is the national firearms register - a concept being worked on by the Firearms and Weapons Policy Working Group, Police Ministers Council and Australia's Federal Attorney General Mark Dreyfus
"The one thing that has been touted in all of this has been a nationally consistent approach, because a national firearms registry is only going to work if all States and Territories have regulation that is somewhat similar," Mr Walsh said.
"If all of a sudden you have one State that does things and classifies firearms differently, they are not going to be able to integrate into a Federal framework which requires all States to be moving in the same direction."
Mr Walsh said the WA government's move to put statutory limits on the amount of firearms the State's licensed firearm owners could own wasn't a policy that was evidence-based.
"I am puzzled as to why WA is moving away from the genuine need or reason case, as specified in the National Firearms Agreement," he said.
"The recent review into the Firearms Act that was conducted by the law reform commissioner of WA also dealt with this topic and suggested that the genuine need/ genuine reason provisions are what has worked and shouldn't be adjusted, yet now we have police trying to set statutory limits...where is the evidence that says this is needed?"
While WAFarmers, which forms part of the Primary Producers Firearms Advisory Board that has been consulting Mr Papalia on the State's firearm reforms in recent months, has agreed to a limit of 10 firearms for WA farmers, Mr Walsh said statutory limits on the amount of firearms owned by WA's recreational shooters would continue to be "vehemently opposed".
"I think it's somewhat short-sighted for WAFarmers to agree to that limit, because once the ability to adjust the regulations on a statutory limit comes in, that limit is never going to move up, it's only ever going to move down," Mr Walsh said.
"Also it's important to highlight that what suits one farmer may not suit another, so to set in place a statutory limit when everywhere else in the country works on demonstrating a genuine reason or need to purchase another firearm isn't smart in my opinion."
However WAFarmers chief executive Trevor Whittington said the group had agreed to the 10 firearm limit after consulting with the group's members.
"The feedback was that 10 firearms is sufficient to cover all the needs of a farming and pastoral enterprise, so we are comfortable to work in the government's limit, but we fully understand that the State's recreational shooters would have an interest in a much larger number and wider range of firearms," Mr Whittington said.
A meeting of the Primary Producers Firearms Advisory Board with MR Papalia is scheduled for next Tuesday.
