Gun News Australia: the latest news for Aussie shooters

WHO ASKED SSAA? SSAA Victoria gave evidence about Commonwealth Games shooting facilities and the interests of the broader shooting sector—but nobody asked it to represent the shooting organisations who were responsible for the Commonwealth Games shooting events.

IN THIS EPISODE, we examine what SSAA told the parliamentary inquiry, which organisations actually administer international rifle, pistol and clay-target shooting, and why those recognised bodies were not consulted when the Games were cancelled and shooting facilities were discussed.

We also put two direct questions to SSAA Victoria. It did not answer either of them. It did not explain what authority it believed it had to speak for the broader sector, and it did not explain why Shooting Australia was not consulted.

This matters because consultation only works when governments hear from the organisations responsible for the affected sports. In this case, SSAA assumed a mandate it was never given. 

The result is that this stunt has now cost Victoria the opportunity to have international grade shooting facilities.

If you value independent, evidence-based firearms-policy reporting, support Gun News Australia through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/gunnewsaustralia/membership

#GunNewsAustralia #SSAA #ShootingAustralia #TargetShooting #CommonwealthGames #VictorianPolitics #LicensedShooters #ShootingSports

THIS ISN’T FAIR COMPENSATION. NSW’s fixed-price schedule assigns $600 to a rimfire rifle—even though Sean Frazer says a competition rifle can cost many times that amount.

In this follow-up interview, Gun News Australia speaks with competitive shooter Sean Frazer about the NSW gun buyback and what its published prices could mean in practice.

The official schedule lists $600 for a rimfire rifle, $450 for an air rifle, $850 for a double-barrel shotgun and $1,000 for a centrefire rifle. Phase 2 applies to eligible firearms valued above $3,000, carries an unspecified fee and is capped at $10,000.

Sean explains why competition firearms, modern air rifles and shotguns can cost several times the fixed payments—and why accessories may create another uncompensated loss.

IN THIS EPISODE, we also examine the $1,000–$3,000 gap, licensing and permit delays raised in the interview, the announced firearm-industry assistance, and the scheme’s timing ahead of the 2027 NSW election.

#GunNewsAustralia #NSWGunBuyback #LicensedShooters #FirearmsPolicy #NSWPolitics #ShootingSports #FirearmsLicensing #GunBuyback

VIC FIREARMS REGISTRY’S ALARMING DELAYS. Victoria’s published processing date for new firearm licence applications has slipped back to an indicative gap of 146 days — after improving to 111 days in May. 

Since recording this episode, that number has now jumped to 152 days!

IN THIS EPISODE, we look at why the queue matters to Victorian shooters, the Government’s earlier explanation for the delays, and why the deterioration since May now needs an answer.

We asked Victoria’s Police Minister, Paul Edbrooke, to explain what happened and offered him an interview. We gave his office until Friday 14 August to respond. No answer arrived by that deadline — although that silence does not tell us what caused the backlog.

The practical consequences can be real. For handgun newcomers, Victoria Police’s 13-NORI lifetime limit can leave someone unable to continue participating while they wait for their licence to be processed.

We also ask what role modern digital systems, automation and AI could play in reducing repetitive administrative work while keeping genuine suitability decisions in human hands.

Victorian shooters need three things: a backlog recovery date, a published service standard, and regular figures showing whether the queue is actually growing or shrinking.

#GunNewsAustralia #Victoria #FirearmsLicensing #LicensedShooters #VictoriaPolice #FirearmsPolicy #ShootingSports

NSW SHOOTERS FACE a gun buyback with fixed category payments that may be far below the value of some firearms.

IN THIS EPISODE of Gun News Australia, we speak with Phil Donato MP, Member for Orange, about the NSW Government’s newly announced buyback arrangements and what they could mean for licensed firearm owners and firearms businesses.

The discussion covers the published compensation figures, the later pathway for higher-value firearms, support offered to dealers, and the political timing ahead of the March 2027 NSW election.

Phil argues the scheme is unfair to people who lawfully acquired their firearms and says the Government has seriously underestimated the reaction among shooters.

They also discuss the rushed passage of the post-Bondi firearms laws, the pressure being reported by gun shops, the lessons Phil draws from the 1988 NSW election, which resulted in the Labor Unsworth Government being soundly defeated for bringing in new gun laws then - and what shooters can do now.

Watch the interview, check what the announced payments could mean for your firearms, and make your views known respectfully to your local MP.

The government’s buyback page is at: https://www.nsw.gov.au/legal-and-justice/gun-buyback

Are you a major party MP wanting to speak out against the buyback? Let us know: [email protected]

Check out our NCAT fundraiser over the NSW government’s secret policy agenda: https://www.gofundme.com/manage/filed-at-ncat-were-fighting-nsw-police-over-gun-policy

#GunNewsAustralia  #NSWPolitics  #NSWFirearms  #GunBuyback  #LicensedShooters  #PhilDonato  #FirearmsPolicy  #NSWElection

FARMERS ARE BEING TOLD suppressor permits are available in New South Wales. Yet farmers and industry representatives say existing holders are being refused or struggling to obtain another permit when the old one ends.

A suppressor does not, contrary to popular myth, make a firearm "silent'. It reduces noise at the source, helping to protect hearing, limit disturbance to livestock and neighbours, and make agricultural pest control more effective.

It does the same thing as a muffler on a car.

In this episode, we examine what NSW Farmers want, what the law already allows, the evidence Police requires, and why a licensed farmer may have to prove the same need again every five years.

NSW Police says the system has not changed and points to 726 approved permits. But the Government cannot say how many applications from farmers and professional pest controllers were refused or left pending.

WATCH, THEN ACT. Email the NSW Police Minister and your local NSW MP. Ask them to publish the permit criteria and farmer-specific figures, and establish a clear pathway for legitimate agricultural work.

Subscribe for calm, evidence-based scrutiny of Australian firearms policy, and support Gun News Australia through Patreon.

NSW Police Minister's (Yasmin Catley) contact form is at https://www.nsw.gov.au/nsw-government/ministers/minister-for-police-and-counter-terrorism-minister-for-hunter

To find email addresses for all other NSW MPs, go to https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/members-and-electorates/members-and-ministers/all-members

#GunNewsAustralia #NSWFarmers #Suppressors #FirearmsPolicy #PestControl #LicensedShooters #NSWPolice #GovernmentAccountability

$500 FIREARMS CHECK? Victorian MPs have discussed possible of introducing AusCheck costs for shooters of more than $500 when applying for, or renewing their licences. 

No firearms fee has been settled, and the system is not yet finalised. That is exactly why shooters need to act before the process and charging model are locked in.

IN THIS EPISODE, we examine whether governments should be allowed to recover the full cost of a system before proving that the check is necessary, avoids duplication and has been designed at the minimum efficient cost.

Better access to national-security and organised-crime intelligence may be justified. An inefficient new bureaucracy—with shooters paying for repeated checks, incompatible databases or avoidable manual work—is not.

We set out seven questions governments must answer, including what AusCheck will add, which existing checks it will replace, how automation and secure data-sharing will reduce costs, and which public-safety expenses should properly be met by government.

Watch, share this episode with your club mates and email your local MP now—before the important decisions have already been made.

Subscribe for scrutiny of Australian firearms policy, and support Gun News Australia through Patreon.

#GunNewsAustralia #FirearmsPolicy #LicensedShooters #AusCheck #Victoria #FirearmsLicensing #GovernmentAccountability #CostRecovery

NSW POLICE have now served their documents in our NCAT proceedings concerning the National Firearms and Weapons Policy Working Group.

This is an important milestone, but it is not the end of the process. We are now preparing our submissions before the Tribunal considers the next stage of the case.

This case is about far more than one Freedom of Information request. It concerns transparency, accountability and the public’s right to understand how national firearms policy is being developed. Australians deserve confidence that important public policy is being made openly and lawfully.

In this episode we explain where the proceedings now stand, what NSW Police have provided, what still remains before the Tribunal, and what viewers should expect over the coming months.

Thank you to everyone who has supported this work. Your encouragement and financial assistance are helping us continue pursuing these important public interest issues through the Tribunal process.

Want to support the fight?

Or via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=H8M2TBTFB7L62

#GunNewsAustralia  #FirearmsPolicy  #FOI  #NCAT  #Transparency  #NSWPolice  #GovernmentAccountability  #NationalFirearmsPolicy

POLITICIANS leave office, but the systems they create can remain for decades.

Paul Papalia has retired from Western Australian politics, while the Firearms Act 2024, its ownership limits, health assessments, storage rules and continuing licensing transition remain in force.

Across the Pacific, Dianne Feinstein’s original 1994 federal assault-weapons ban expired in 2004, but the policy model, terminology and campaign for renewed restrictions continued to shape American politics.

This episode examines two different kinds of political legacy: a live statutory and administrative system in Western Australia, and an enduring legislative template in the United States.

We also examine what the evidence can and cannot prove, including Western Australia’s 83,764 surrendered firearms, the reported 24 per cent reduction in registered ownership, and the continuing dispute over the measurable effects of the former U.S. ban.

The central question is simple: before governments impose restrictions that may last for generations, have they defined the problem, measured the likely outcome, consulted properly and created a genuine independent review process?

Because ministers eventually move on. Shooters, clubs, farmers, collectors and communities are left living with what they built.

#GunNewsAustralia #FirearmsPolicy #WesternAustralia #PaulPapalia #DianneFeinstein #GunLaws #EvidenceBasedPolicy #ShootingSports

THIS EPISODE examines the launch of the Gun Traders Australia marketplace and why it could become one of the biggest changes for Australian firearm dealers—and licensed shooters—in years.

Think of it as the emerging Coles of the online gun world.

We discuss how the platform imports dealer catalogues, synchronises inventory and reduces the double handling involved in maintaining online stores, while helping dealers reach more potential customers.

The platform also helps solve one of the industry's biggest challenges: dealers increasingly finding their websites, online stores, payment services and social media accounts restricted by mainstream technology providers.

In New South Wales, new firearms laws have made operating a firearms business even more difficult – and this solution helps them work around that.

Rather than relying on platforms that often don't understand or support the firearms industry, this marketplace has been built specifically for Australian firearm dealers and the licensed shooters they serve.

It means finding a gun, part or accessory, has been made easier.

If you value evidence-based reporting and practical discussions about Australia's firearms industry, subscribe to Gun News Australia and help us continue producing independent coverage of the issues that matter to licensed shooters and dealers.

#GunNewsAustralia #GunTradersAustralia #FirearmsIndustry #FirearmDealers #AustralianShooters #ShootingSports #RetailTechnology #Firearms

RADICAL ANTI-GUN GROUPS are to blame for the loss of a firearms consultative committee in Tasmania - and they're trying to do the same elsewhere.

​IN THIS EPISODE, we examine the Tasmanian Government's decision to abolish the Firearms Consultative Committee, why it was made, and what this change could mean for licensed shooters, hunting organisations, shooting clubs and other stakeholders across the state.

​We look at the official documents and the available evidence to explain how the committee previously operated, the role it played in providing advice to government, and whether the new arrangements will provide the same level of consultation and accountability.

The episode also considers the practical implications of removing a formal advisory body, including whether firearm owners will continue to have meaningful opportunities to contribute to future policy decisions and whether the replacement consultation process will be as effective.

​We also examine the government's explanation for the change, the concerns raised by the shooting community, and the broader significance of this decision for anyone interested in firearms policy, transparent decision-making and public consultation in Tasmania.

#GunNewsAustralia #FirearmsPolicy #Tasmania #FirearmsConsultativeCommittee #EvidenceBasedPolicy #GovernmentAccountability #FirearmLaw #Consultation #PublicPolicy