- A national ban on almost all handguns could be in place
by the end of this year following agreement between the Prime Minister
and premiers on tightening firearm laws.
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- At a meeting with state leaders in Canberra yesterday,
John Howard proposed a buyback of all handguns, except those used for Commonwealth
or Olympic Games and similar events or for police, security and military
purposes.
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- The Labor premiers emerged from the meeting voicing in-principle
support and expressing optimism about a federal-state accord to strengthen
firearm legislation.
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- The campaign to reduce the number of handguns in the
community and increase the regulation of those few that remain follows
Monday's shooting rampage at Monash University in which 36-year-old Huan
Yun Xiang, who had licences for seven handguns, allegedly killed two students
and wounded five others.
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- "The public demands that more be done to control
the proliferation of handguns," Mr Howard said.
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- "We have won very significant dividends from the
controls enacted after the Port Arthur disaster (in 1996, when 35 people
were massacred) and I believe over time if we have the determination and
the unity to act together, that we can achieve similar dividends in relation
to handgun control."
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- Mr Howard was keen to have the ban on handguns implemented
as quickly as possible. "I want to work with the states on this issue,"
he said.
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- Mr Howard's proposals would see the commonwealth and
states equally share the cost of a buyback of all pistols and revolvers
not used in approved sporting events.
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- The premiers were generally supportive of his proposal,
but had reservations about its cost.
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- The buyback of 643,000 longarm rifles after Port Arthur
cost the commonwealth $320 million but Mr Howard said yesterday he did
not see the need for another levy to finance a handgun buyback and amnesty.
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- There remains some confusion about which weapons would
be blacklisted, with Greens senator Bob Brown warning yesterday that the
Sporting Shooters Council, which is to advise the Government about which
guns are used in competition, could erode the effect of the ban.
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- And Opposition community security spokesman Mark Latham
claimed the ban would only affect 10,000 weapons because 95 per cent of
handguns in Australia were used in competitions.
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- Police ministers will discuss the proposals next month
and it is likely the Prime Minister and premiers will sign off on a national
plan at the Council of Australian Governments meeting in late November.
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- After yesterday's meeting, premiers were positive about
the prospect of a ban on handguns but pushed for more federal resources
to be directed towards trafficking in illegal firearms.
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- Steve Bracks, who is expected to call an election soon
for Victoria where the ban could become an issue, said a buyback should
compensate owners for the retail cost of surrendered guns.
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- Bob Carr, who must go to the NSW polls by March, said
that unlike the Monash shootings, most handgun crimes involved weapons
smuggled into Australia.
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- "They came in through lonely air fields in northern
Australia or through shipping containers that aren't searched," he
said.
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- The Prime Minister has also called for an urgent review
of how firearms are allocated to security firms and for an increase in
penalties for illegal possession of weapons.
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- http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,5355307%255E601,00.html
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