SSAA NSW

Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. 15 The first national firearm amnesty since the Port Arthur massacre 21 years ago will start from July 2017. In October 2016, the Law, Crime and Community Safety Council approved a national firearms amnesty to take place over a three-month period. It is estimated that there are approximately 260,000 unregistered firearms throughout the country. The amnesty will provide the opportunity for people to take advantage of the options available to them, without fear of prosecution. Under the amnesty a person who does not hold a firearms licence and is in possession of an unregistered firearm will have three choices: 1. surrender the firearms for destruction with either a New South Wales dealer or the NSW Police, 2. place the firearm and related items in safe storage with a NSW dealer while applying for a NSW Firearms Licence, and then they will be able to register the firearm, or 3. sell the firearm and related firearms articles through a participating NSW firearms dealer. We are encouraging the public to approach any of the participating dealers in the first instance in order to take advantage of the amnesty. The NSW Police Force Firearms Registry will waive registration fees and PTA fees to encourage people to register their firearms. As we approach the amnesty date the NSW Police Force Firearms Registry will provide further information and educational material to participating dealers. The Federal Government is issuing a number of communications and will be setting up a dedicated website. Stakeholder meetings President of SSAA NSW Paul McNabb is an active member on the Stakeholder Forum group. The Forum group has worked tirelessly to put forward recommendations to be submitted to Cabinet, relating to amendments or changes to the legislation that will benefit the sport and the industry. Both Diana Melham and Paul are participants in the FALCON working group which has been established to collaborate on how the NSW Police Force Firearms Registry's new information technology platform will best suit recreational shooting groups and their members. Both these groups meet on a regular basis and the Firearms Registry recognises Paul and Diana's effort and commitment to ensuring that both of the groups' outcomes are successful and the interests of the sport and industry are considered at these meetings. We would like to thank Paul and Diana for their contributions and time. FALCON update In the last edition of The NSW Shooter Quarterly Review we were able to provide information about the direction the NSW Police Force Firearms Registry is taking with the new technology system FALCON (Firearms and Licensing Communication Online Network). FALCON is still in the design phase, with the NSW Police Firearms Registry working closely with stakeholder groups and participating vendors to ensure requirements are clearly identified and described for inclusion in the specification of the system. It should be finalised in the near future. The Firearms Registry will continue to provide updates on progress. Bruce Lyons Director, NSW Firearms Registry NSW Police Firearms Registry National Firearms Amnesty 2017

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