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In New South Wales, most individuals holding firearms licenses cite hunting or sports shooting as their reason, with sports shooting requiring only a membership at a shooting club.
A recent study by the Australia Institute reveals a discrepancy: although 253,000 people in the state claim affiliation with a shooting club or recreational hunting as their reason for owning a firearms license, only 36,000 actually engaged in these activities last year.
Experts are raising alarms about this loophole, suggesting it permits numerous gun owners to legally possess firearms without intending to use them for their stated purposes.
“It’s concerning that there are countless individuals not using their firearms for the licensed reason,” one expert stated.
“While Australia’s firearm regulations are a source of national pride, their effectiveness in ensuring safety depends on their strict enforcement. Currently, this loophole in genuine reasons could easily be exploited by individuals with malicious intentions, undermining the integrity of Australia’s gun laws.”
The research from the Australia Institute also found there are currently more guns in Australia than ever before, including before the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, which prompted John Howard to overhaul gun laws across the country.
However, Campbell warns the delay in fixing the genuine reason loophole may have already had too much of an impact.
“Our research shows that our state and territory licencing regimes are undermining the system and potentially putting people at risk,” he said.
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