Following the recent release of the 2017 National Firearms Agreement, dozens of SSAA Victoria members have passed their feedback on to the State Office.
Many of the issues raised surrounded genuine reasons, cooling-off periods for permits to acquire and drastic changes to legal handgun competitions.
However, the Attorney-General Department’s admission that one major change was due to a ‘typo’ has SSAA Victoria and its key industry partners wondering how many other changes could be easily resolved.
Members who participate in pistol shooting – particularly IPSC – were distressed by the ‘restrictions on certain firearms’ (point 7) and the ‘genuine reasons for sports shooters – handguns’ (point 14).
7. Jurisdictions will restrict the importation, possession and use of handguns for sporting purposes to individuals meeting recognised sporting shooter classifications in the Olympic and Commonwealth Games and for other accredited events that meet the conditions in paragraph 14(c).
14. (c) Handguns with a calibre greater than .38” but no greater than .45” are permitted only where shooters are competing in the two accredited events known as Metallic Silhouette and Single (Western) Action.
It left IPSC, NRA and Classic Pistol competitors believing their hobbies were made illegal. However, this week the Department stated that section 7 was a ‘typo’ and the paragraph should have pointed to 14(b)i.
(b) i. Firearms permitted for acquisition, possession or use under this genuine reason are: i. Category H – the firearm must be designed or adapted for competition target shooting, or must have a barrel length of at least 120mm for a semi-automatic handgun or 100mm for a revolver or a single shot handgun. If the firearm is fitted with a firearm magazine or cylinder, it must have a capacity of not more than 10 rounds. The calibre of the firearm must not exceed .38” (with the exception of cases listed under paragraph 14(c)).
So, instead of accrediting certain events, the states are able to approve any event for which firearms that meet the criteria of a sporting handgun are allowed. The 2017 National Firearms Agreement document has since been amended. However, the document still restricts the use of pistols exceeding .38″.
Many SSAA Victoria members also pointed out the 28-day waiting period for all permits to acquire, in section 43 of the document.
43. Jurisdictions agree that the issuing of a permit must be subject to a waiting period of at least 28 days to enable appropriate checks to be made on licensees in order to ascertain whether circumstances have occurred since the issuing of the original licence which would render the licensee unsuitable to possess the firearm or which would render the licensee ineligible for that type of firearm.
The 1996 National Firearms Agreement used the same wording. Currently in Victoria, however, firearm owners need only wait the 28 days for the first permit to acquire. SSAA Victoria members want the 2017 National Firearms Agreement to reflect that.
Our members also took issue with section 54, which regards the purchase of ammunition.
54. Jurisdictions will legislate to allow the sale of ammunition only for those firearms for which the purchaser is licenced, and impose limits on the quantity of ammunition that may be purchased in a given period.
The first clause in the above section would add a considerable administrative burden to firearm dealers and firearm owners. As for the second clause, there is no indication what those limits would be but SSAA Victoria members saw this as a move to control firearm owners further.
Another issue raised by SSAA Victoria members was section 5 of the agreement, which surrounds restrictions on imports.
5 a) The Commonwealth will restrict the importation of: (a) all semi-automatic long arms and pump action shotguns, and all parts including magazines for such firearms, included in Licence Categories C and D
d) handgun parts for sport shooting purposes (for example slides, barrels, receivers and frames) which could be used to assemble a prohibited handgun or convert a permitted handgun into a prohibited handgun.
The parts of many firearms are interchangeable. SSAA members said they may want particular parts designed for one type of firearm to improve the accuracy or useability of another firearm.
Section 33 of the document stipulates that licence applicants must be “over the age of 18”. The language is the same as the 1996 National Firearms Agreement but still concerns SSAA Victoria members. Ensuring the future of the sport is dependent on junior participation and they believed it should be considered in the agreement.
Finally, in section 35 of the agreement regarding ‘requisite training’ there is one small change that could have a big impact on new shooters. SSAA Victoria members raised concerns that the introduction of ‘firearms competency’ could mean the states adopt practical testing prior to issuing firearm licences.
SSAA Victoria is now working closely with the peak political shooting body – Combined Firearms Council of Victoria – and other stakeholders to develop a unified and strategic approach to the document. All members concerns have been considered. The State Office will be calling on members for assistance in a future e-news alert.
