"Premier Minns, I have not written to a political leader since 7 May 1996." - Walter Mikac AM
NSW Premier Chris Minns has been urged to undo a backroom deal which would wave through frightening new firearms laws legalising silencers and providing greater access to guns in contravention of national agreements enacted after Port Arthur.
The 'Trojan horse' deal with the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party (SFFP) has prompted Walter Mikac, whose wife, Nanette, and two daughters, Alannah and Madeline, were killed in Australia's deadliest mass shooting, to write to Mr Minns calling on him to show leadership and stand strong against the gun lobby by reversing support for the proposed legislation.
"NSW is on the verge of undoing the only positive thing that came out Port Arthur that day – the political commitment for Australia to have one of the strongest firearm safety frameworks in the world," Mr Mikac said.
"These new laws would be a huge step back and blatantly contravene the National Firearms Agreement, which has been the cornerstone of firearm management legislation across the country since 1996. This Bill is nothing more than a Trojan horse for the gun lobby, which has a vested interest in more guns and more gun owners in Australia.
"Government support for this Bill would show clear disregard for the safety and interests of the 8.1 million people in New South Wales who do not engage with firearms. It's a thinly disguised copy of the Hunting Bill 2020, which was previously proposed by the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party.
"I urge Mr Minns to strongly declare where he stands on guns, remembering all those lost at Port Arthur and all those affected by firearm violence even today, before bending to the demands of the gun lobby."
Despite being dressed up as an environmental protection measure, the Bill would enable more people to use more guns, more often. It poses a serious threat to public safety with alarming provisions such as:
- The establishment of a Conservation Hunting Authority, controlled by hunting organisations and the gun lobby.
- Enshrining a "right to hunt" in direct contradiction to the National Firearms Agreement and NSW's own Firearms Act.
- The creation of a Minister for Hunting and Fishing, effectively a government advocate for the commercial shooting industry.
- Legalising silencers, expanding access to night-vision hunting, and implementing bounty programs.
The Bill also opens new areas of Crown Land, National Parks, Forest Areas and some land managed by local governments to hunters, who would be free to shoot in areas frequented by campers, bushwalkers and those pursuing other outdoor activities.
The Bill is now being reviewed by a Parliamentary Committee. In its current form, it is dangerously regressive and a slippery slope toward the erosion of Australia's proud firearm safety framework, which is frequently held up overseas as an example of sensible, successful gun policy.
Walter and the Alannah & Madeline Foundation are urging the people of New South Wales to contact their local MP to vote against this regressive bill when it is tabled again.
