NSW upper house Libertarian MP John Ruddick wants amendment to the NSW State Constitution to add a right to own and carry firearms to the 123-year-old document.
Mr Ruddick gave formal notice of his intention to introduce the Constitution Amendment (Right to Possess and Carry Firearms) Bill 2025 to the NSW parliament.
Speaking to Sporting Shooter, Mr Ruddick said the Bill would be an unashamed copy-and-paste of the Second Amendment to the US Constitution and was part of an effort to put shooting in Australia on the front foot politically.
“We are continually on the defence, we are trying to reduce the erosion of our gun rights,” he said.
“We’ve gotten used to that and accepted that’s how it is.
“I think there is a growing appetite for a right to bear arms, which the media hasn’t picked up on.”
Mr Ruddick said the right to own firearms was a core tenet of libertarian philosophy.
“There is a diversity of opinion within the libertarian movement around the world, but the one thing they’re united on is a belief in the right to bear arms,” he said.
“We believe in that because we know our history and we are mistrustful of government.
“We believe governments will tend towards tyranny, and the only way to keep them in check is a counterweight amongst the people — the right to bear arms.”
He said that the Libertarian Party in Australia believed the country should become “the Switzerland of the South Pacific,” essentially withdrawing from military alliances and staying out of foreign wars while maintaining strong defence capabilities of its own, and an armed populace standing behind the Australian Defence Force was an important component of that.
“If Australia is ever invaded, all they have to do is take out the ADF, then we’re sitting ducks,”
Mr Ruddick said.
“If the invader believes every second house from Townsville to Hobart to Perth has a gun, they’re going to have second thoughts.”
In addition to helping safeguard Australia’s security, Mr Ruddick said there was a strong personal safety argument for implementing a right to bear arms, too.
“We have a natural, God-given right to defend ourselves,” he said.
“At the moment, the arrangement is you’re not allowed to defend yourself, you have to call the cops — who will get there to clean up the mess after the crime has occurred. It’s encouraging criminal behaviour.”
The bill generated considerable discussion online among shooters and non-shooters alike — much of it positive.
“We’re very pleased there’s so much interest,” Mr Ruddick said.
“I believe the Australian people are simply not aware of the philosophical case for the right to bear arms, and I want to turn that around.”
While acknowledging it was highly unlikely the bill would pass when it came up for debate, Mr Ruddick said it often took multiple attempts, sometimes spanning years or even decades, to get controversial legislation through parliament before it succeeded.
“We’re not going to give up — this is something I feel more strongly about than any other political issue,” he said.
“[This bill] is to kick off a debate which we haven’t had, and to make an unapologetic case for the right to bear arms.”
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