SSAA NSW

12 Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. The Martin Place Siege Review recommended a number of initiatives relating to firearms, including that the regulation of the legal firearms market should be simplified by way of an update of the technical elements of the National Firearms Agreement. This review was conducted and as a result the 2017 National Firearms Agreement was endorsed by the Commonwealth, States and Territories in February 2017. In order to implement the changes to the 2017 National Firearms Agreement and to accommodate for the participation of NSW in the National Firearms Amnesty, the NSW Parliament passed the Firearms and Weapons Legislation Amendment Bill 2017 on 20 June 2017. This Bill amends the Firearms Act 1996 and the Weapons Prohibition Act 1998. The changes as a result of the Bill will commence on 1 November 2017, except those relating to the National Firearms Amnesty which commenced on 1 July 2017. The most significant change is the re-categorisation of lever action shotguns, which are currently classified as Category A firearms, to: • Category B – Lever action shotgun with a magazine capacity of no more than five rounds. • Category D – Lever action shotguns with a magazine capacity of more than five rounds. Licence holders who own lever action shotguns prior to the commencement of the legislative amendment will be authorised to retain possession of their firearms. The transitional arrangements state that a lever action shotgun with a magazine capacity of more than five rounds is subject to grandfathering provisions. The grandfathering provisions apply only for the particular lever action shotgun registered to the person, and only while that shotgun remains registered in their name. Grandfathering will apply only to current legitimate firearms licence holders, not to those with merely a Permit to Acquire for a lever action shotgun. Letters have been sent out by the Firearms Registry to affected licence holders advising them of the changes. Most relevantly for the SSAA and its members, the Bill amends provisions dealing with the supervision of unlicensed shooters, persons undertaking firearms safety training, probationary pistol licence holders and minors to clarify the required level of supervision and in some cases to authorise a supervisor to decide on an adequate level of supervision. Except for P650 shooters who must be supervised on a one-to- one basis, these changes will make it simpler for clubs and ranges to determine appropriate levels of supervision. Licence holders and stake holders have raised their concerns with the requirement for a firearms dealer to record the address of a person to whom or from whom ammunition is supplied or acquired. These concerns have been listened to by the Firearms Registry and ultimately by Government and the requirement to record address details for ammunition has now been removed. Other changes include: • Introduction of a penalty notice for minor safe storage breaches that can be immediately rectified, providing an alternative to police seizing firearms and prosecuting individuals in the courts. • Creating the opportunity for online services. • Prohibiting the possession and use of a firearm or prohibited weapon by means of remote control unless specifically authorised by a permit. • Removing the requirement for a permit to acquire when an imitation firearm is acquired from a firearms dealer • Allowing for an application for a licence or permit to be refused if the applicant is subject to an interim apprehended violence order or is required to be registered under the Child Protection (Offenders Registration) Act 2000 and to prevent a person who is subject to an interim apprehended violence order from being employed or involved in the management of the business of a licensed firearms dealer. • Clarifying the operation with respect to firearms and prohibited weapons of provisions for the mutual recognition of domestic violence orders made in other jurisdictions. Bruce Lyons Director, NSW Firearms Registry NSW Police Firearms Registry

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