NEW gun laws tightening storage requirements and cracking down on stolen firearms have passed the Legislative Council. MLCs yesterday signed off on a raft of gun reforms, after a debate which spanned four days and saw key planks of the measures hardened, relaxed or scrapped altogether. Automatic three-month jail terms for people caught with stolen firearms - arguably the most contentious aspect of the government's new laws - were stripped away. The mandatory sentences were replaced with tougher maximum sanctions, including five years' jail for low-level offences and 21 years for the most serious. The government also agreed to half proposed fines for some breaches, after lengthy argument in the Legislative Council over whether the punishments were too harsh. Police Minister Rene Hidding said he was confident a "two-pronged approach" contained in the laws would deter firearm theft and better protect the community. "On one hand, there will be strengthened storage requirements for registered owners of handguns and those with 10 or more firearms," Mr Hidding said. "On the other, new specific offences have been created for the possession of stolen firearms with strong penalties." Under the changes, the supervised shooting age will be dropped from 16 to 14. The laws also pave the way for paintball to be legalised in Tasmania.
NEW gun laws tightening storage requirements and cracking down on stolen firearms have passed the Legislative Council.
MLCs yesterday signed off on a raft of gun reforms, after a debate which spanned four days and saw key planks of the measures hardened, relaxed or scrapped altogether.
Automatic three-month jail terms for people caught with stolen firearms - arguably the most contentious aspect of the government's new laws - were stripped away.
The mandatory sentences were replaced with tougher maximum sanctions, including five years' jail for low-level offences and 21 years for the most serious.
The government also agreed to half proposed fines for some breaches, after lengthy argument in the Legislative Council over whether the punishments were too harsh.
Police Minister Rene Hidding said he was confident a "two-pronged approach" contained in the laws would deter firearm theft and better protect the community.
"On one hand, there will be strengthened storage requirements for registered owners of handguns and those with 10 or more firearms," Mr Hidding said.
"On the other, new specific offences have been created for the possession of stolen firearms with strong penalties."
Under the changes, the supervised shooting age will be dropped from 16 to 14.
The laws also pave the way for paintball to be legalised in Tasmania.
