NEW Police Minister Rene Hidding faces a challenge in calming community concern about guns.
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There is entrenched scepticism about the integrity of the police firearm database; there has been a spike in gun-related incidents and firearm theft, and Tasmania has more gun owners per head of population than anywhere else.
We are approaching the sobering statistic with one firearm for every three adult Tasmanians, and that's just the weapons we know about. On that basis we could wage war.
Firearm discharges in public places, which you would normally associate with gang-related incidents in the big mainland cities, are taking place more regularly in Tasmania.
Firearm discharges in public places, which you would normally associate with gang-related incidents in the big mainland cities, are taking place more regularly in Tasmania.
We seem to have lost our way since those sombre days and months following the Port Arthur massacre. The massacre, involving a "pathetic, social misfit" as the judge described him, will hopefully never play out again to any degree in our lifetime, but Port Arthur was possible because of lax gun laws.
The objective should be to avoid curbing the freedom of law-abiding gun clubs and game shooters, and also farmers who need firearms for their properties, but the laws need to be tougher on the rest of us, who don't need to be armed to the teeth.
This is not Baghdad or some Ukrainian back street; it is Tasmania. We simply don't need so many firearms.
The least the government could do is toughen up on the controls, such as forcing gun dealers to obtain and record proof of a licence when selling guns. Gun storage should be subject to stringent guidelines that reduce the possibility of theft.
There should also be an independent audit of the police firearm database. An independent audit would remove all doubt about its management and integrity, and reinforce public confidence.
EASTER
Have a great break, If you are religious we trust your Easter is an uplifting interlude in your manic year. Above all, we are pleading with you to drive extremely carefully in those peak periods when everybody takes to the country like they are fleeing an earthquake. Be patient with fellow motorists, and come back safely next week.