SSAA NSW

Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. 23 Firearms and Mental Health One of the most challenging issues in the firearms space is the intersection between firearm access and mental health. Most people would agree that a person who, because of their mental illness, cannot safely continue to access firearms, should be prevented from doing so. This is reflected clearly in the NSW Firearms Act 1996, which prevents a person who is deemed unsafe to access firearms. This is found in section 11 where there is a general power to refuse an applicant if there is reasonable cause to believe that the applicant may not exercise continuous and responsible control over firearms because of a previous suicide attempt or self-harm incident or the applicant's intemperate habits or being of unsound mind. Also, people wishing to try shooting prior to being licensed or who are undertaking the firearm safety training course are required to answer the following mental health related questions on the P650 form prior to gaining access to firearms: (b) Have you ever attempted suicide or self harm? (c) Have you in the past 12 months been treated or referred for treatment for alcoholism, drug dependence, or a mental illness within the meaning of the Mental Health Act 2007 or as a mentally disordered person within the meaning of that Act? A mental illness is defined as: mental illness means a condition that seriously impairs, either temporarily or permanently, the mental functioning of a person and is characterised by the presence in the person of any one or more of the following symptoms: (a) delusions, (b) hallucinations, (c) serious disorder of thought form, (d) a severe disturbance of mood, (e) sustained or repeated irrational behaviour indicating the presence of any one or more of the symptoms referred to in paragraphs (a)–(d). And a mentally disordered person is defined as: A person (whether or not the person is suffering from mental illness) is a mentally disordered person if the person's behaviour for the time being is so irrational as to justify a conclusion on reasonable grounds that temporary care, treatment or control of the person is necessary: (a) for the person's own protection from serious physical harm, or (b) for the protection of others from serious physical harm. The increase in diagnosis of mental health conditions in Australia has meant that this is a growing area of work for the Firearms Registry as more licence holders are presenting information about illness and treatments. Declaring a mental illness to the Firearms Registry in no way means you will be automatically prevented from obtaining or keeping a licence. We recognise that many people with mental illnesses continue to be able to exercise continuous and responsible control over their firearms. And we recognise that mental illness can be situational or transitory or treatable. We are fully aware that there are circumstances, such as family breakdown, job loss, or financial stress which can lead people to act out of character. We analyse the situation, consider the severity of the circumstance, and look at the totality of the person's holdings and advice provided by treating medical professionals. As the regulator we need to reduce risk and so we weigh all these factors in making decisions about licence issue or continuity. Risk mitigation is established firmly in the principles of the Firearms Act in that firearm possession and use is a privilege conditional on the overriding need to ensure public safety. To satisfy this, we require that a person supplies to us documentation from their treating medical professional to support ongoing or future firearm access. The NSW Police Force has recently sent your association and club a poster, asking for your vigilance in contacting us if you hold any concerns about a person accessing or wanting to access a firearm. Concerns may be wide ranging and could include someone who is displaying unusual, suspicious or unsafe behaviour, someone who may be suffering a mental illness which would hinder safe use of a firearm or someone you suspect of criminal or terror related activity. We have had good responses from the firearm community about this campaign and we thank you for helping us to keep your sport and industry safe. If you have any concerns about a person's access to firearms, please call the Firearms Registry on 1300 362 562 or CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000. Georgina Gold General Manager, Operations NSW Police Force Firearms Registry NSW Police Firearms Registry

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