Originally Posted by
JWB
I disagree. This is not a good result. Here is a reply I sent to the minister today setting out my immediate objections.
"The minister keeps referring to "Arms (Firearm Prohibition Orders and Firearms Licences) Amendment Bill". This I know nothing about.
This report is a disaster for firearms owners, as it legitimises current illegal activities inflicted on us by police. Increases the potential for further persecution, while giving the public a sense of relief that, "well, that wasn't so bad after all".
The mail-order process doesn't need clarification. It is clearly set out in the legislation. The minister needed to instruct police to obey the law.
A stand-down period after licence revocation. Where the hell is that going? Given that most licence revocations are the result of acrimonious relationships or police punishment for a citizen insisting that police follow the law, will this be used to further intimidate the licence holder, should they show any semblance of developing a spine?
Recording of serial numbers- voluntary process to continue. There is no voluntary process. There is only the police assembling a dysfunctional registry to condition the public to accepting registration. Where is the secure storage for this illegal process and why are public funds supporting it.
Determine appropriate security standards for A licences. That is just weasel words for increasing the cost to licence holders though increased security costs. Something the police are doing already through illegal policy and bullying. The legislation is quite clear as to the security requirements to deter children and opportunist thieves.
Licence suspension Just another tool for the thugs and bullies to use against the dissenters to their vision of a police state. No proof required, just the word of the blue thug.
Require the police to consult with the firearms community! How do you do that, when there is no body that represents licence holders. FCAF? how well does that work out? There is a power imbalance. the police hold all the cards. Dissent is ignored and only agreement is allowed.
Nowhere in this report is there a rollback of the intrusive and obscene conditions imposed upon licence holders by the 1983 act and it's amendments. The imposition of the need to prove ones innocence goes against the basis of our Westminster justice concept of innocent until proven guilty. The arms act in itself is a direct affront to our justice system and society.
Nothing the minister is proposing will address criminal offending with firearms, or criminals acquiring firearms. The only thing that will achieve that, is for police to get back to catching burglars, instead of persecuting the victims of burglary. A return to the principles of policing as devised by Robert Peel might be in order as the police clearly lack direction."