CHANGES TO VICTORIA’S GUN LAWS have been met with anger after more than 800 shooters sent emails to Victoria’s Police Minister, Lisa Neville, since Sunday.
The National Shooting Council says the strong reaction was in response to a proposal to extend Firearm Prohibition Order laws to enable Victoria Police inspectors to issue the bans based on a person’s ‘behaviour’, despite the lack of safeguards against them being used for political purposes.
The State Government says the laws are about getting guns out of the hands of criminals, but the Council says the laws could easily be used to target legal activities, such as protests and advocacy.
Council spokesman, Peter Zabrdac, said Firearm Prohibition Orders last 10 years and mean you can be subject to random warrantless searches of your home or car, banned from going anywhere where firearms are stored such as a relative’s or friends home or a gun club and you must tell police of a change of address within 24 hours or risk being jailed for a year.
“The problem isn’t with illegal guns. It’s the lack of clarity in the legislation that allows significant limitations to be placed on a person’s life even if they have never committed a crime.”
“You could even be someone who hates guns but still have your life turned upside down with the same bans. It’s a very Stalinist thing to do” he said.
He said when the laws were originally made in 2018, they were supposed to target bikie and organised crime gangs but could now be used against government critics over “behaviour” such as attending protest marches or defying government directives.
“The laws are deliberately vague. They cover any form of ‘behaviour’ or ‘association’. Yet an Order issued today would mean the person’s life is affected until 2032, and without the right of appeal until 2027.
“Now the Government wants to delegate this further down in the police force.”
Mr Zabrdac said the law needed strong safeguards put in place so they could not be abused.
“For example, we think it is appropriate that if you are going to significantly limit someone’s life in this way, there needs to be a right of appeal. Or an Order should be approved by a Magistrate who should be shown why an Order is needed, before it can be issued”
In 2018, Liberties Victoria expressed concerns it had about the laws, but the Government did not address those concerns.
