A police blunder which saw about 1000 guns slip off the radar shows why WA’s strict licensing laws need an overhaul, says a local gun lobbyist.
Ron Bryant is president of the Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia’s WA branch and was responsible for a provocative billboard promoting gun ownership in South Fremantle (“Greens land hunters”, Herald, October 19, 2013).
A Freo wharfie in his day job, he concedes the prominent ad was a bit of a dig at the Greens, who oppose the SSAA’s dreams of hunting in WA’s national parks and owning semi-automatic handguns. However, he’d first thought about erecting it directly outside premier Colin Barnett’s office to protest the state’s licensing system, which he describes as a “debacle”.
Five years ago a police computer program was deactivated because of bugs and police lost track of about 5000 guns. Mr Bryant says despite spending $365,000 trying to resurrect the data, police sources told him that there were still about 1000 unaccounted for.
He says the problem could have been avoided if WA police had laws similar to NSW where only the shooter—not the gun—is licensed.
“Other states license Steve Grant to be a good bloke, but here you have to justify every firearm,” Mr Bryant complains.
A few days after the South Freo billboard was erected it was graffitied, with vandals linking guns with small penises and changing the h in hunter to a c. But Mr Bryant says that was always expected and part of the plan.
“In other states where they’ve put up billboards it’s created a bit of debate, and then they’re defaced and that brings more attention and keeps the discussion going,” he chuckled.
“We were trying to put them in areas where we’re not preaching to the converted.”
He says city people need to know the value of hunting, and says the hunters’ and Greens’ aims aren’t all that different.
“We both want to protect the environment,” Mr Bryant told the Herald.
He points to this year’s Red Card for Rabbits and Foxes events across rural WA, which resulted in almost 5000 foxes, 400 cats and 4100 rabbits being shot by 1250 volunteers.
“That’s 5000 foxes that won’t be eating native animals, that won’t be eating lambs—you know, the foxes wait behind the ewes and eat the lambs as they’re being born,” he said.
“That has a direct impact on the price of lambs.”
WA Police was contacted by the Herald.
by STEVE GRANT