Figure show modest firearm ownership in WA as new laws loom
Recently released figures from Western Australia show that the average gunman owns fewer than four firearms and only 178 of the state’s approximately 89,000 licensed gun owners own more than 25 firearms.
Meanwhile, the McGowan administration has announced that it will completely rewrite it weapon law and its regulations, which date back to the 1970s, putting “community safety” first.
Answering a question in the state upper house on Aug. 10, Emergency Services Secretary Stephen Dawson said the state averaged 3.69 firearms per license, with 178 licensees owing more than 25 guns. Of those 178, 34 licensees owned more than 50 firearms and 26 licensees owned more than 100 firearms.
According to figures provided by WAPOL, the largest number of firearms owned by a licensee in WA was 317, although no details were given as to whether this was an individual license or a business license for something like a paintball field or security company.
Although the figures provided do not include licensed dealers, they appear to include licensed collectors. The numbers also do not indicate the type of firearms, so it is not possible at this time to determine how many of the weapons mentioned are harmless items such as paintball markers or airguns.
The majority of the approximately 349,000 firearms in WA are considered Category A firearms, including shotguns, .22 hand-operated rifles and paintball markers.
Firearms have become a hot political issue in the West this year, beginning with the release of allegedly anonymized maps in March The Western Australian newspaper and Daily Mail Website showing the location of registered firearms in the Greater Perth region and elsewhere in the state.
Work carried out by the Shooters Union and individual affected licensees quickly showed that it was possible to identify addresses on the map with varying degrees of accuracy, despite claims to the contrary by Police Secretary Paul Papalia and WAPOL.
Western Australia already has by far the most draconian laws in Australia, prohibiting licensed shooters from acquiring additional firearms in calibers similar to those they already own (even Category A firearms) and preventing shooters from using individual firearms, for which they are not specifically licensed (even if they have the appropriate category on their driver’s license)
The state has previously sent letters to licensees asking them to prove their shooting ability/experience to continue owning .308+ caliber rifles and charging $256 for the equivalent of a license to purchase.