Hunter hits out at gun caps as Labor continues push for restrictions

Gun caps could still become law in Tasmania despite the state’s Lower House voting down restrictions on how many firearms a person can own.

During debate in the House of Assembly on firearm reform legislation, Labor moved an amendment to cap the number of firearms someone could own in Tasmania.

However, the amendment was defeated 15 votes to 16.

Caps were supported by Labor, the Greens, and independents Helen Burnet, Peter George and Kristie Johnston.

But the Liberals, Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP Carlo Di Falco, and independents David O'Byrne, Craig Garland and George Razay voted against them.

Labor has since announced it would attempt to reintroduce the firearm cap amendment in Tasmania’s Upper House, which is set to debate the gun legislation later this year.

The Tasmanian Country contacted all eight Legislative Council members and asked whether they supported gun caps.

Huon MLC Claire Glade-Wright said she would support Labor’s push for gun caps, with Bec Thomas, Rosemary Armitage, Ruth Forrest and Mike Gaffney declaring they were undecided.

Meg Webb declined to comment, while Tania Rattray did not respond.

Meanwhile, Montgomery MLC Casey Hiscutt said he was leaning towards not supporting caps.

“It would be unlikely that I would support the proposed amendments regarding caps, but I will reserve my decision for the debate,” Mr Hiscutt said.

The Firearms Bill that passed the Lower House included multiple amendments.

The major change between the legislation introduced in the Lower House and the version that passed was that reclassifying straight-pull action firearms are no longer grandfathered, meaning the change will affect all firearm owners.

However, the Australian citizenship requirement to own a firearm will still be grandfathered.

That means a non-Australian citizen with a firearms licence can keep it.

Several amendments were made to the bill, including:

• family violence offenders excluded from holding a firearm for 10 years
• excluding a person from holding a firearm licence if they’ve been convicted of fraud relating to acquiring a firearm or licence, threatened to use a firearm for violence or unlawful purposes or have a prohibition order against them in another state.
• giving the police commissioner the power not to give someone a firearm licence if they have a history of family violence in another state or displayed behaviour that was a recognised precursor to or risk to family violence, including coercion, intimidation, damage to property or increased police attendance.

David Clarke is a recreational hunter and shooter who believed that the government had been looking at the issue “the wrong way round”.

He said that recreational hunters and those with gun licences were not the problem.

“The caps issue is a complete joke – that’s not going to stop issues on its own,” Mr Clarke said.

“It’s attacking the wrong end of the problem.

“Leave legitimate people alone and go for the people who are using them wrong.”

Mr Clarke said that if Labor’s gun caps were successful, it would impact him greatly.

“I’ve hunted on a farming property for about 35 years.

“Crop protection has become even more important because of the growing deer problem.”

Mr Clarke said he had one firearm for shooting deer during daylight hours, a .308 rifle with a thermal scope for shooting deer at night, a .223 gun for kangaroos, two .22 guns and a few other firearms too.

“All hunters need more than one rifle, and a lot of people that live in the cities don’t understand that one rifle or gun does not do the job.

“Horses for courses – they’re not all the same.”