Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens Police and Emergency Management spokesperson
Tasmanians have a right to know what position Police Minister, Rene Hidding, will take to a COAG meeting in Melbourne tomorrow, where a move to end the moratorium on importations of the Adler 8-shot shotgun will be on the agenda.
The Greens are strongly against any push to weaken the classification of the rapid fire Adler and weaken the nation's strong gun laws. The Tasmanian Government should strongly oppose this move at the Ministerial meeting in Melbourne.
Given the tragic history of gun violence in Tasmania, Minister Hidding should be the strongest voice at the table arguing against weakening our National Firearms Agreement.
The 6-shot Adler is now already legally available to any licensed firearm owner, a technical loophole that the Greens continue to oppose.
Minister Hidding has previously shown favour to the narrow interests of the gun lobby on this contentious public safety issue. In May, the Liberals voted against the Greens' Private Members Bill to close the loophole and restrict the rapid-action weapon to Category C licence holders.
The Adler 6 and 8 shot guns are high-powered rapid action weapons that can cause immense harm. It would be impossible to disarm a person shooting into a confined area, like a classroom, a cafe or a mall, until all the shots were fired.
We don't want to move towards the US-style norm when it comes to guns. Minister Hidding needs to reassure Tasmanians he will hold the line against the gun lobby and firearms manufacturers' constant push to soften our gun laws.