Queensland LNP Premier David Crisafulli has announced a new batch of tougher gun laws in response to the Bondi Beach terror attack.
Under the proposal, gun licence holders must be Australian citizens, except under some limited exceptions. Currently, permanent residents in some jurisdictions can own firearms.
Criminals will also face stiffer penalties for trafficking firearms or ammunition which could see offenders facing life in jail—the strongest anti-gun trafficking penalty in the nation.
Police will also have more powers to disrupt illegal firearm trafficking and a new offence will prohibit the reckless discharge of a weapon towards a building or vehicle to crack down on “drive-by” shootings.
The new laws will also give police more power when considering weapons licence eligibility, including any history of violence, threatened violence or weapons-related offences.
A new offence will also prohibit the possession and distribution of blueprints for 3D-printed firearms.
The Crisafulli government’s move comes as state, territory, and national leaders tighten their gun laws after the Bondi Beach terror attack that claimed 15 lives and left 40 others wounded.
“We said we would go after criminals and terrorists, and through this strong reform, we are delivering exactly what we promised,” Crisafulli said in a statement.
Minister for Police Dan Purdie said the bill was about ensuring criminals and terrorists faced “the toughest consequences possible.”
“We are giving police stronger powers to stop illegal firearms from entering our communities and strengthening the laws that determine who is fit and proper to hold a weapons licence,” he said.
The Epoch Times contacted the Queensland Shooters Union for comment.
Visiting head of the U.S.-based Crime Prevention Research Center John R. Lott Jr. warned, however, that restricting gun ownership could have other consequences.
He said there should be more analysis on how mass shooters picked their targets, arguing that knowing this would inform authorities how to better respond in future.
“I’ve read literally dozens of diaries and manifestos from these mass murderers, and you see certain patterns occur very regularly. These monsters go and explain why they picked the targets that they did. It’s not random, and unfortunately, the media really ignores what these guys say when they pick their targets,” Lott Jr. told The Epoch Times.
“These killers seek out places where they know guns are banned. They may be crazy in some sense, but they’re not stupid. Their goal is to get media attention, and they know the more people they kill, the more media attention that they’re going to be able to get.
“And they know if they go to a place where guns are banned, they'll be the only person that will have a gun there,” he said.
