Agreement during first meeting of Firearms Consultative Committee

Tougher penalties for gun theft and possession of stolen weapons, and making Australian citizenship the default eligibility requirement for a firearms licence are among the things the Tasmanian Firearms Consultative Committee have agreed on during their first meeting.

The meeting was held in Launceston on Wednesday.

Police Minister Felix Ellis thanked the committee members for their participation.

“Despite diverse perspectives, the strong consensus on the most important community safety reforms shows that there is far more that unites us than divides us,” Minister Ellis said.

“The Committee has endorsed a suite of strong measures to keep firearms out of the wrong hands, including the expanded use of criminal intelligence in firearms licensing, and legislative amendments to fast-track the National Firearms Register.

“Tasmania is leading the country in delivering the Register, and our government's highest priority remains accelerating the work to strengthen intelligence sharing.”