Thread: Shooting: The sport all of us enjoy - do your part in preserving the ability to do so

Aside from the entire recommendation being a contradicting and virtually unenforceable waste of our tax-paying money - it does absolutely nothing to address the problem of illegal firearm possession. It lists four different sources where illegal firearms are obtained.

Funnily enough the recommendation focuses exclusively on licensed firearm owners and completely ignores the others. I didn't see any recommendation for increased Customs screening of incoming shipments for example. Criminals don't care about permits to procure or endorsements or security standards. None of this is going to affect them.

The arms officers barely cope with the existing workload - the very document itself says that they are under-resourced and now they are suggesting a Permit to Procure to be required for every firearm purchase and in the same breath saying that registration is unenforceable but yet that's exactly what they are trying to do. They aren't even capable of doing a good bullshitting job!

We recommend to the Government that the law be amended to make it clear that
the secure storage requirements must be met to the satisfaction of the Police, before a
licence or endorsement can be issued.

It wants clarity on the storage requirements yet, strangely is not clear on what these requirements are? As for the "satisfaction of the Police"... That sets a dangerous precedent in my opinion. Based on their recent track record, police's "satisfaction" can change depending on which way the wind blows. I'm referring to OAL measurement of MSSA as an example, originally it was measured extended - now it's apparently measured collapsed.

So my 6mm thick safe may suddenly become "unsatisfactory" tomorrow and police will require a 10mm safe to be installed. Effectively a possible attempt to price shooters out of the hobby.

It wouldn't surprise me if firearm and ammunition sales went through the roof in light of this select committee recommendation.