Give us Cat C licenses if we’re not the problem, says Shooters Union

Activists and politicians claiming that the recent re-categorisations of straight-pull and lever/button-release firearms are “not about about punishing shooters” put their money with their mouth is and make Category C licences available to hunters, target shooters and volunteer pest controllers, according to the Shooters Union.

Tasmania has joined NSW and WA in essentially banning straight-pull and lever/button-release firearms by re-categorising them from Cat B – available to almost anyone with a firearms licence – the Cat C, which is only available to primary producers, occupational purposes, or collectors; collectors cannot generally fire their guns.

Shooters Union Australia president Graham Park said governments could not genuinely claim these changes were aimed only at criminals while simultaneously blocking responsible licence holders from retaining access to firearms they had already been vetted and trusted to own, in many cases for several decades.

“State governments have repeatedly said these changes are about criminals, not farmers, hunters and sporting shooters,” Mr Park said. 

“If that is true, the logical and responsible step is to ensure the same vetted, licensed individuals who were trusted to possess these firearms yesterday on a Category B licence are still trusted to possess them tomorrow on a Category C licence.” 

Mr Park said reclassifying these guns to Category C did not suddenly make them more dangerous, but instead created bureaucratic obstacles that unfairly punished people who have done absolutely nothing wrong.

He also said the policy position taken by governments regarding these firearms had created an obvious contradiction that could no longer be waved away.

“If governments genuinely believe these firearms are appropriate for responsible use by farmers and professional pest controllers, then they must also recognise that licensed sporting shooters and hunters who have already been vetted by police are equally trustworthy,” Mr Park said.

The latest reclassifications have certainly done nothing to change the view of shooters that gun laws are not based on fact, but rather ‘vibes’, ‘feelings’ and political point-scoring.

“These laws were rushed through with very little consultation and no evidence that these firearms present a unique risk compared to other Category B rifles,” Mr Park said.

“The result is a regulatory mess that governments now have a responsibility to fix.”