PTA blow-out a “disaster” with no fix in sight

Delays in processing Permits to Acquisition (PTAs) in Queensland are now so bad that thousands of shooters are frustrated and the state’s multi-million dollar firearms industry is in jeopardy.

The state’s embattled gun licensing department is now taking more than a month to process PTAs for licensed shooters, up from a few days this time last year.

Dealers across the state are now finding their storerooms full of sold guns awaiting PTAs, and their calls for gun licensing or Police Secretary Mark Ryan to fix the problem have fallen on deaf ears.

Anthony Pagan, owner of Pagan Firearms in Townsville, said PTA approvals have fallen about 85% in recent months, even as firearm sales have risen and it has caused serious problems.

“Currently we buy 10 times more firearms from wholesalers each month than we can sell to customers, which increases the pressure on safe storage space,” he said.

“Customers are also reluctant to complete stopovers or purchase ammunition and supplies until their PTA is approved, meaning gun dealers are now having to inflate the cost of all inventory well beyond the standard 30-day credit limit terms, adding additional pressure.” to small businesses cash flow, growth and diversification.”

James Walsh, Executive Officer of the Shooting Industry Foundation of Australia (SIFA), described the situation as a “disaster” for the industry and said he was being contacted daily by concerned traders who saw the impact of WLB’s heel dragging on their bottom line at a significant level Path.

“Every day we get calls from licensed arms dealers from across Queensland who are now desperate and worried they are going to go broke,” he said.

“It’s a disaster for business and for society. One dealership we personally inspected has well over a million dollars worth of firearms in stock awaiting approvals to complete the sale.”

Shooters Union Australia and the Firearms Dealers Association of Queensland have written jointly to Police Minister Mark Ryan and small business owner Di Farmer, calling for action to be taken to clear the backlog and rectify the situation immediately, including through the establishment of a 7 – 10-day deadlines for PTAs and automatic issuance of Category A PTAs.

“This isn’t just a ‘gun owners being abused’ issue, it’s a ‘small business being actively harmed by the government’,” said Graham Park, President of Shooters Union Australia.

“For traders and shooters alike, it needs to be sorted out, it needs to be sorted out now, and it needs to stay sorted out.”