A Message to All Gun Owners from the Prime Minister of Australia
To help make Australia safer you need
to know how gun control will affect you.
Recent horrific events have caused all Australians to consider
what sort of firearms are acceptable in our community. You will have
seen a lot of information recently about gun control and not all of it
has been accurate.
The following information is the agreed view of all Australian
governments made at the special meeting of Police Ministers in May
1996.
John Howard
Prime Minister
For more information contact your local police station or the office
of your Federal member or senator, after Tuesday 18 June, for a copy
of the free pamphlet, Gun Use. How it Affects You.
The following types of firearms will be available to owners who have
a genuine reason for such a firearm:
- air rifle
- rimfire rifle (excluding self loading)
- single barrel shotgun
- double barrel shotgun
For the following types of firearms, owners may also have to prove a
genuine need for such a firearm:
- single shot centre fire rifle
- double barrel centre fire rifle
- repeating action centre fire rifle
- break action shotgun/rifle combination
A genuine reason for owning, possessing or using a firearm will
include:
- sporting shooters using lawful firearms with valid
membership of an approved club;
- recreational shooters/hunters who produce proof of
permission from a public or private landowner;
- people with an occupational requirement, e.g. primary
producers, other rural purposes, security employees and
professional shooters for nominated purposes;
- bona fide collectors of firearms; and
- people with other limited purposes authorized by legislation
(e.g. firearms use in film production).
The following types of firearms will remain restricted
subject to the tightest possible controls:
The following types of firearms will be restricted to persons such as
primary producers who have a genuine occupational need for the gun:
- self loading rimfire rifle
- self loading shotgun
- pump action shotgun
The following types of firearms will be banned throughout Australia
except for official purposes and professional shooters:
- self loading centre fire rifle
- self loading shotguns
- pump action shotguns
- self loading rimfire rifle
