The Shooters Party will lose their minds about this, but I don’t care. I’ll be seeking to amend their pro-gun Bill to strengthen gun laws, because when it comes to guns and hunting in New South Wales, public safety and animal welfare must come before political deals.
Right now, the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party are pushing a controversial bill that will make it easier for people to hunt in shared public spaces in our state. It’s a bill that significantly risks human safety, and a bill that, unbelievably, still has the support of the Labor Government.
My amendments are simple. They limit hunters to owning no more than five guns and stop unlicensed shooting. These are modest, common-sense measures, but they go to the heart of what this debate is really about: whether we prioritise community safety and accountability, or pander to the gun lobby and hunting extremists.
Currently in NSW someone can have hundreds of guns – I can’t see any reason someone would ever need that many guns. Limiting gun numbers makes our communities safer. It reduces the risk of theft, misuse, and illegal trade. It helps police trace firearms more effectively. And it sends a message that gun ownership is a serious responsibility, not a right. Similar laws were recently passed in Western Australia, making them the state with the strongest gun laws. Meanwhile, NSW has the most guns, meaning our gun laws need to be even stronger.
My second amendment follows the recommendations of the John Edwards Inquest. Right now, there are places people can go to shoot guns without a licence. These places are gateways to gun use – as in the case of John Edwards who used this avenue before ultimately killing his two children. My amendment will end unlicensed gun use to further protect the community.
The truth is, the Shooters Party doesn’t want accountability, they want freedom from scrutiny. They want to normalise using guns for ‘fun’, expand access to public land for shooting, and chip away at every safeguard we have. And Labor, by siding with them, is legitimising that agenda.
By supporting these amendments, Premier Chris Minns can strengthen our gun laws and make our state safer for everyone. It would be devastating if he votes to water down gun safety laws and refuses to increase community safety through these amendments.
If the Government chooses to side with the Shooters over safety, it’s the public who pay the price through weakened gun laws, increased risk, and more animals suffering.
So yes, the Shooters Party will lose their minds about my amendments. But I’m not here to make them comfortable. I’m here to make sure that our laws protect both people and animals, not the interests of a vocal minority who think gun ownership should be limitless and unregulated.
NSW deserves better than that. And I’ll keep fighting for it.