A map released to the public revealing the exact locations of thousands of handguns and longarm firearms in Western Australia (WA) has sparked outrage it could be used by criminals to target and steal guns.
Overlaying the chart with a map of property boundaries using free software available online, The Epoch Times was able to identify the exact locations of around 50 firearms owners within just a couple of hours.
The map was pulled from an internal WA Police database and distributed to media on Tuesday, March 22, where it was also revealed that four percent of the state’s adult population of two million possessed at least one gun—with 349,000 licensed firearms owned by 89,000 individuals.
The diagram had allegedly been provided by WA Minister of Police Paul Papalia. The WA commissioner of police said the map was part of an internal briefing and that police had not intended for it to be made public.
The Epoch Times reached out to WA Police and WA Police Minister Paul Papalia but did not receive a reply.
The incident occurred following the WA government’s announcement it would be overhauling the state’s gun laws in the interest of community safety.
However, the decision to release the map has appalled gun owners who believe it has achieved the exact opposite.
“It’s dangerous. I’m actually worried now,” a veteran WA police officer, whose identity has been protected, told The Epoch Times.
“I think it’s very likely someone’s going to get their house broken into as a result of that,” he said.
The police officer also said he believed the government and media had a narrative to depict gun ownership as something dangerous—despite the fact that WA has low firearm crime, with almost all incidents occurring using unlicensed or improvised weapons.
“Their motivation to instil fear has actually driven safety in the opposite direction to what they’ve intended,” the police officer said.
“They were trying to cause fear and panic by showing people, ‘here’s a map, you’re surrounded by guns!’ But what you’ve done is actually show the criminals where to go to get the guns.”
In WA, similar to the rest of Australia, guns are not permitted for self-defence. However, they are allowed under limited circumstances, such as for recreational shooting or hunting animals on eligible private properties.
Sporting Shooters Association of Australia WA (SSAAWA) President Paul Fitzgerald said there was no evidence that linked gun crime with the number of licensed firearm owners in the state.
“Recreational shooters are sportspeople and conservationists who are passionate about firearm safety and the responsibility that comes with owning a licensed firearm, and we are avid campaigners against gun violence,” Fitzgerald said.
“We have made every attempt to consult with the State Government and had several meetings with Minister Papalia in the hope that any changes to firearm legislation would actually help to prevent crime, and still maintain sporting and recreational shooting in Western Australia.
“Instead of meaningful engagement with our members, responsible gun owners have been unfairly targeted, and their safety has been compromised by releasing data which can easily identify where our members live,” he said
One Nation Senate candidate Paul Filing, a former Criminal Investigation Branch detective, called for the WA Labor government to be held to account.
“State Labor Police Minister Paul Papalia’s action in releasing these maps was highly irresponsible and he ought to be sacked,” Filing said in a statement.
“Firearm owners whose homes have been pinpointed in the published image ... must be shocked to see their households shown in such a way clearly inviting offenders to either try and steal the weapons or at the very least stalk them until they can get an opportunity to.”
A nearly 200-page report published in 2016 by the WA Law Reform Commission offered a series of recommendations following two years’ worth of work and consultation with communities, gun owners, politicians, and other stakeholders.
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