The Tasmanian Government must change course and get on board with the proposed national gun buyback scheme and with limits on the number of guns individuals can own.
Comments from Police Minister Felix Ellis last week immediately raised a red flag that the government was laying the groundwork to delay or even deny important gun safety reforms. Disturbingly, the Government’s rhetoric has only hardened further against key measures in recent days.
Not only have Rockliff Government figures been leading the charge nationally in questioning a proposed buyback scheme, it now appears they are preparing to oppose any changes that would cap the number of guns owned by individuals. This approach is completely contrary to all the evidence about what is needed to make our community safer.
The fact is, there are far too many guns in Tasmania, and we have to do something about that to keep our community as safe as possible. That means putting limits on the number of guns that can be owned by an individual, and it means fully participating in the proposed national buyback scheme.
There is no single policy that will solve the major issue of gun violence, so it has been good to see a range of measures already agreed to. But any response that does not reduce the number of guns in our community is entirely inadequate.
Tasmania should be leading the charge when it comes to strengthening gun laws. Instead we have the Police Minister arguing against the need for key reforms, and the Deputy Premier saying the government won’t be “railroaded” into action. It’s appalling.
The Rockliff Government needs to rethink their approach to this crucial community safety issue, and get on board with these essential reforms.
