A BIG increase in the number of registered guns in NSW should be cause for further investigation in suburban areas but also of concern should be the importation of rapid fire shotguns, which the NSW Greens say will be subject to few restrictions.
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The growth in the number of licensed firearms over the past five years and the imminent importation of a rapid fire lever-action shotgun are both issues raised by The Greens.
There is nothing wrong with taking a rational look at the state of gun ownership in NSW, and when that is done it does show a big increase in the number of licensed guns in suburbs of western Sydney where pest and vermin control are not a likely cause.
The explanation could be that more people in suburban and outer suburban areas are taking up hunting or shooting through licensed gun clubs.
Supporters of gun owners could at least argue that knowing the number of licensed guns is good and an increase could in part be due to licensed gun owners doing the right thing and registering all their firearms.
They would say that it is the unlicensed guns, and easily concealed handguns in particular, which the public should be concerned about, but obviously those numbers are impossible to measure accurately.
There has been an increase too in the number of registered guns in the Orange postcode area and a 31 per cent increase in the number of licensed gun owners here in five years.
In Bathurst and Dubbo it is a similar story, though they each have about 3000 more registered guns than Orange.
But in the case of these three regional cities it is true that kangaroo, fox and other pest numbers have grown dramatically in the wake of several good seasons on the land.
It is also true that with the Game Council active in the Central West you would expect to see more recreational shooters registered.
If there is cause for concern it is in the suburbs of Sydney where drive-by shootings occur with disturbing regularity.