SSAA NSW

20 The NSW Government is intending to amend the Firearms Act 1996 with the introduction of The Firearms and Weapons Legislation (Criminal Use) Bill 2020 later this year. The stated purpose of the amendment is to strengthen the provisions relating to illegal manufacture of firearms or prohibited weapons and to clarify police powers when conducting firearms prohibition order searches. Through consultation with our members and closer review of the Bill, however, it has become clear that there are significant, unintended consequences for our members and other law-abiding firearms owners. These consequences could effectively criminalise their current law-abiding activities. 1. The first and most significant failure of this proposed Bill is the attempts to do away with the civil liberties of all NSW citizens. In this proposed Bill the powers of the Police to interrogate, enter property and seize anything they desire, without legitimate presumption of guilt is unacceptable in any modern state. As the proposed Bill is currently written, if you, as a legal firearms owner, read a reloading guide on your computer, or view a parts diagram, that could be considered a criminal act and your computer could be impounded. I have read the submission of the Law Society of NSW, who are also opposed to this Bill on civil liberty grounds. This is clearly a much bigger attack on a legitimate way of life for NSW citizens, rather than just a firearms owner issue. 2. The inclusion of "precursors" in the Bill labels currently legal NSW firearms owners as automatic criminals. Banning precursors and the tools required to disassemble and reassemble a firearm for cleaning and maintenance is not in the best interests of safety and simply does not make sense. 3. The proposed Bill does not promote public safety, in fact, it is unsafe in its current format. The focus of the proposed Bill on zero modifications by a legal firearms owner, as currently written, means the fitting of a rifle with a scope sight by that previously legal and experienced firearms owner will be illegal. Yet, it is the scope that makes that rifle more accurate and therefore safer. This applies to most firearms modifications – making them better suited for purpose makes them safer. Recently, SSAA NSW lodged a detailed submission to the NSW Government Legislative Council Upper House Inquiry, regarding the proposed Bill. The proposed Bill and our submission to the Inquiry is on our website. This proposed legislation as it is currently written is unacceptable and must have unintended consequences removed. SSAA NSW, as the largest membership organisation supporting legal firearms owners in NSW, is leading this advocacy and has already completed several phases of a plan to amend this proposed legislation. Unintended consequences could effectively criminalise current law-abiding activities.

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