A national firearm register won’t prevent future tragedies

State Member for Hinchinbrook and KAP Deputy Leader, Nick Dametto.

13 February 2023

Katter’s Australian Party and Hinchinbrook MP, Nick Dametto has called out those who have pledged support for a national firearms register to explain how it would have prevented last year’s triple shooting tragedy in Wieambilla which saw two police officers and a civilian gunned down with illegal weapons.

The Hinchinbrook MP, who has been a long term spokesperson for licensed weapon holders, said the kneejerk announcement by both the State and Federal Governments was a classic example of how licensed and compliant firearm owners will be the scapegoats yet again for the small minority of people who act on their radical ideologies.

“Australia already has an established weapons register known as the Australian Firearms Information Network that provides ‘a national life-cycle view of registered firearms in Australia, from legal importation through to legal exportation or destruction, to support law enforcement agencies and the officers who protect our communities’.

“The State Labor Government’s failure to maintain the existing weapons register and announce their support for a new national register only serves as a convenient way to cover up yet another Government shortfall,” Mr Dametto said.

“It doesn’t make sense that we’re going to reinvent the wheel.

“Either way, the weapons involved in last year’s shooting murders were reported to be unregistered, so no weapons register would have prevented what took place on that day.”

Mr Dametto said he found the Premier’s support for a national register surprising given the current state of Queensland’s Weapons Licensing branch.

“The latest update from the weapons licensing branch confirmed that they are more than 34 weeks behind when it comes to processing weapons licenses – I would love to hear from the Premier how she thinks Queensland is in any position to contribute accurate information to a national register.

“No doubt gun owners will be burdened with double reporting and policing at both the State and Federal level because the State Government is incapable of running a functional and efficient weapons licensing branch.”

-END-