Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens Police spokesperson
The National Firearms Agreement was implemented in 1996 and it has served us well. Although there have been no public mass shootings since then, both of the old parties chose to vote against upholding that Agreement in Parliament today.
Lever-action shotguns that have a modern rapid fire mechanism, like the Adler, are now easy to get hold of for anyone with a gun licence. There are online tutorials showing how the magazine can be modified to increase them to 11 shots, making them an even more dangerous weapon.
The Greens Amendment to the Firearms Act* sought to cement our gun laws and protect the community by restricting guns like the Adler. Both the Liberal Government and Labor Opposition showed a disappointing lack of leadership and willingness to shield people from such violence.
In the past, all three Tasmanian parties were able to put politics aside to protect the community through our strong gun laws. It's very disappointing that the same sentiment didn't permeate the debate today.
Tasmanians need a higher level of protection from these weapons, and both Labor and the Liberals walked away from supporting that today.
