The Nationals are committed to supporting law-abiding firearms owners, including farmers, sporting shooters, hunters, and recreational enthusiasts. These individuals play a vital role in our communities, contributing to pest control, sport, and rural livelihoods.

 

South Australia's existing firearms laws, governed by the Firearms Act 2015 and associated regulations, are robust and among the strictest in the world. They require licensees to demonstrate a genuine reason for ownership, such as recreational hunting, vermin control, or primary production, and mandate safe storage, training, and background checks.

 

Recent federal proposals, including a national gun buyback and potential caps on the number of firearms owned (e.g., limiting recreational users to four guns and commercial users to ten), stem from the tragic Bondi incident in New South Wales. However, this event highlighted failures in enforcement/administration rather than deficiencies in the law itself.

 

The SA Nationals firmly oppose knee-jerk reactions that unfairly target responsible owners in South Australia, over 1,300 kilometers from the incident. We believe punishing law-abiding citizens for the actions of terrorists allows terror to win and diverts attention from real issues like under-resourced policing.

 

Our policy prioritizes effective implementation of current laws over unnecessary reforms, ensuring public safety while protecting the rights of licensed owners. We reject politically motivated changes that could cost South Australians billions in a cost-of-living crisis, with estimates for the national buyback ranging from $1 billion to $15 billion, potentially split 50:50 between federal and state governments.

 

Key Principles

 

1. Support for Law-Abiding Owners: Firearms owners in South Australia are already highly regulated. Every firearm is licensed for a specific purpose. We recognize the essential role of firearms in rural life, including for farmers managing feral pests and for sporting clubs fostering community and discipline.

2. Enforcement Over Restriction: The root cause of firearms-related incidents is often poor enforcement, not the laws themselves. South Australia's system works when properly resourced. We oppose arbitrary restrictions based on location, occupation, or unfounded assumptions about risk.

3. No Unnecessary Changes: There is no evidence-based case for altering South Australia's firearms laws in response to interstate events. Existing measures, are fit-for-purpose and should not be tightened to score political points.

4. Cost-Effective Public Safety: Any reforms must consider the financial burden on taxpayers. We reject costly buybacks or overhauls that fail to address core problems, advocating instead for targeted investments in administration and compliance.

 

Policy Commitments

 

The SA Nationals will:

• Oppose the National Gun Buyback: We will not support or fund any state implementation of the federal buyback scheme. This includes rejecting charges to South Australians for a program reacting to preventable failures elsewhere. As demonstrated in federal parliament, The Nationals have consistently voted against such measures.

• Reject Caps on Firearm Ownership: We will block any attempts to limit the number of firearms licensed owners can hold. Responsible owners need multiple firearms for different purposes (e.g., different calibers for various pests or sports). Caps lack evidence of reducing crime and unfairly impact rural users.

• Increase Funding for the Firearms Registry: The SAPOL Firearms Branch is under-resourced, leading to delays and inefficiencies. We commit to boosting funding to improve processing times, compliance checks, and enforcement and ensuring the Registry is contactable during all business hours not just 3 hours a day, 4 days a week.

• Approach to Current Laws: No changes to the Firearms Act 2015 or regulations that impose further restrictions. The SA Nationals will implement the following changes that support shooters.

  • Legalisation of noise reducing devices (suppressors).

  • Extension of maximum Category H licence period from 3 to 5 years.

  • Implement an online firearms portal that streamlines renewals and applications.

• Advocate for Better Enforcement: Push for enhanced SAPOL resources to focus on illegal firearms trafficking, rather than burdening licensed owners. This includes stronger border controls and intelligence-sharing with federal agencies, without expanding import bans on common equipment.

• Protect Community Interests: Work with stakeholders and farming groups to ensure policies reflect real needs. We will promote education on safe firearm use and oppose discrimination against owners.

• Maintain the ability of children under 18 years to hold a licence. It is important that the next generation of sporting shooter and farmer has the opportunity to learn to shoot safely and responsibly. The SA Nationals support the continued access to licencing in the age bracket 12 to 18.

 

The SA Nationals stand with South Australia's 60,000+ licensed firearms owners, who are not the problem—criminals are. The SA Nationals plan is simple. Increase funding for our firearms registry so that our existing, fit-for-purpose legislation is implemented properly and that a preventable tragedy doesn't occur in SA due to a failure of process.

 

For more information, contact:

Jonathan Pietzsch, SA Nationals Firearms Spokesperson – 0429 010 047

Rikki Lambert, Legislative Council Candidate – 0439 844 710

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