Like many in the Australian community, AHPA is deeply concerned that despite bipartisan agreement, no state or territory government is fully compliant with the National Firearms Agreement which they all signed after Port Arthur in 1996 and renewed in 2017.
The National Firearms Agreement outlined a national approach to the regulation of firearms. It set out minimum standards for the safe and responsible possession, carriage, use, registration, storage, and transfer of firearms. The Agreement affirmed that “… firearms possession and use is a privilege that is conditional on the overriding need to ensure public safety.”
After 27 years of inaction, the National Gun Registry is long overdue. AHPA commends the Australian governments for revisiting this important public safety reform at today’s National Cabinet and the commitment to progress the establishment of a national firearm register.
It is critical to have national centralised data on firearm owners, the number of firearms and where the firearms are, particularly with the rising number of firearms in Australia over the previous decade. Having a single source of truth when it comes to firearms is important for transparency and public safety, and will assist policing and health and community service planning.
The Australian Health Promotion Association is a proud member of the Australian Gun Safety Alliance (AGSA). AGSA is a broad coalition of voices representing the interests of the community in ensuring that we maintain vigilance on issues of gun safety. For more information visit the Australian Gun Safety Alliance.