Last week the results of the National Firearms Amnesty that was conducted last year were released. The media highlighted the fact that over 57,000 firearms were handed in between July and September across Australia to be registered or destroyed.
What the media didn’t highlight was that only a third were destroyed. The remaining two thirds were either registered and handed back, or passed on to licensed dealers for resale.
So actually there are 37,150 of these weapons still in circulation with the breakdown being:
33,044 unlicensed weapons have been registered and returned to owners without the owners being charged for having an unlicensed weapon; AND
4,106 were sold to licensed dealers for re-sale.
You may be interested to know that the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) congratulated the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (SSAA) for this undermining of the 2017 National Firearms Amnesty.
“Thanks to the work of the Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia (SSAA), in addition to handing guns over for destruction, the amnesty permits gun owners to register firearms that they are eligible to possess, or to sell them through a licensed dealer.”
To read the whole article access the link below.
A warning: this link may provide images and content that may be upsetting.
So the question Eurobodalla residents should be asking –
Do we want our region to be known as the Nature Coast or outpost of the NRA?
With the Eurobodalla Shire Council endorsed, NSW government approved and SSAA sponsored Huntfest Arms Fair held in Narooma for the next 5 years, Narooma may well be an outpost of the NRA.
Heather Irwin
SAFE Inc. President
(Stop Arms Fairs in Eurobodalla)
