There are growing demands for the NSW Government to urgently offer financial assistance to firearms dealers whose businesses have suffered huge losses in income since new gun laws were rushed into place after the Bondi terrorist attack in December.
Some claim their income has dropped as much as 80% as a direct result of the new laws, which have virtually stopped firearms sales in their tracks and are keeping customers away.
Permits to acquire firearms were initially halted and are now taking weeks to process, preventing people from buying new guns, and the ongoing uncertainty about the proposed gun buyback, re-categorisation of firearms and ownership limits are exacerbating the problem.
In an interview with Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party MLC Mark Banasiak, Safari Firearms owner Gary Georgiou said he was barely selling any firearms now, and was also very reluctant to buy anything because he could not be confident of the future value of the guns if and when sales picked up. Watch the video here.
The federal and state governments are prolonging the doubt by refusing to announce a date, conditions or values for the buyback.
My Georgiou also said he had requested a meeting with NSW Premier Chris Minns, who is his local member, but had even received a reply.
NSW Member for Orange Phil Donato said he had been contacted by firearms dealers who are struggling to remain viable.
“They are doing it incredibly tough,” he said. “We are still in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. Many of these small businesses operate with significant financial commitments — stock purchased on credit, long-term lease arrangements, mortgages, insurance, wages, superannuation and workers compensation obligations.
“When sales collapse overnight, those fixed costs remain.
“We have heard nothing from the Government about structured support, yet these businesses are on a trajectory toward serious financial distress if assistance is not delivered urgently,” he said.
“There was no warning and no consultation. The consequences have been devastating for firearms dealers and their employees.”
Mr Donato posted out the $25,000 compensation packages being offered to Bondi businesses affected the terrorist attack, as well previous occasions where business had been compensated after suffering as a result of government decisions, such as taxi drivers.
“I’m calling on the Government to do the right thing and provide targeted, government-funded financial support for these small businesses whose financial suffering has resulted from changes to the law made without warning and without consultation,” he said.
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