NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge believes there is “no justification for people owning a private weapons stash”.
The Greens will introduce legislation to limit gun ownership to three weapons per licence holder later this year following a spike in firearm theft.
Mr Shoebridge, the party’s firearms spokesperson, said it was “simply wrong” that individual licence holders could own an unlimited number of “deadly weapons.”
“Some registered gun owners clearly own an excessive number of firearms, and their private arsenals are targets for organised crime whether they are properly secured or not,” he said.
The Greens hope a reduction in the number of weapons at private residences will work to limit the “attractiveness of gun theft by organised crime”.
While Mr Shoebridge acknowledges the “legal and appropriate uses for firearms” he believes under NSW law there is “next to no scrutiny of the reasons people give for acquiring guns”.
“If a person genuinely needs to have more than three weapons then they should have to satisfy a very stringent test focused on exceptional circumstances,” he said.
“This legislation will allow law-abiding gun owners to hold an appropriate number of firearms for legitimate use, but will prevent the accumulation of private arsenals,” Mr Shoebridge said.
Greens MP and Orange councillor Jeremy Buckingham could not be reached for comment at time of publication.
clare.colley@rural press.com
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