Western Australian (WA) Premier Roger Cook has exclaimed new gun laws before parliament will be the “toughest in Australia” following a shooting in Perth.
On May 24, registered gun owner Mark Bombara, 63, killed Jennifer Petelczyc, 59, and her daughter Gretl, 18, at their Floreat home in Perth before he shot himself.
The killer reportedly entered the Perth home looking for his ex-partner, but when he couldn’t find her, shot Ms. Petelczyc and her daughter instead.
Responding to the murders, Mr. Cook said the incident highlighted the need to “finally sort out our gun laws once and for all.”
The WA leader added there is no reason a man living in the Perth metropolitan suburb of Mosman Park should be able to legally own 13 guns.
“It’s hard to fathom, one man, 13 guns, legally owned right in the suburbs of Perth,” he said in a press conference on May 27.
In addition, it introduces a health assessment on both physical and mental health to assess gun owners are “fit and proper to hold a firearm authority.”
Recreational Licence to Be Removed
Mr. Cook said firearm reforms are before the Western Australian parliament and will be debated in the legislative council on May 28.“They will be the toughest gun laws in Australia. And I’ve asked the police minister to closely review what happened on Friday to see if there’s any further changes that we can make to make these laws, even tougher,” he said.
He added, “anything we can do to reduce the access to guns” will lower the chance of another tragedy like this.
Meanwhile, Police Minister Paul Papalia said the shooter, who had no prior convictions, owned 11 firearms on a recreational licence and two on a collector’s licence.
“The current laws that enable these licences are inadequate. That is why we have the toughest firearms legislation in the country passing through the parliament and about to be debated in the upper house tomorrow,” he said.
He highlighted under the new laws state the possession and use of a firearm is a privilege and there will be “no recreational licence.”
Mr. Papalia highlighted the shooter on May 24 would have been subject to numerical limits under the new laws and a health check with a mental health component.
The collector licence he held would also have been subject to far stricter regulation.
“These laws are the toughest laws in the country and as the premier indicated, he has requested that I work with the commissioner of the police, we assess this terrible, terrible situation and determine if there are any other measures that we can take to make them even tougher,” the minister said.
In response to the Perth shooting, Nationals WA Opposition Leader Shane Love described the tragedy as “heart breaking” and offered his condolences to the family.
“If you, or someone you know needs help, or if you are distressed by this incident, there are support services available.”
While his statement did not discuss the gun laws before the parliament, back in March, Mr. Love said the Opposition would oppose Labor’s “contentious firearms reforms.”
The Liberal Party however, have broadly expressed support for the new caps on guns.
The National Party and Liberal Party in Western Australia entered an alliance to form opposition in 2021 following Labor’s landslide election win.
