Appearance laws don't make sense, help to put an end to them
Jeff Bourman MP has a bill before the Victorian Parliament (Firearms Amendment Bill 2022) that seeks to amend the Firearms Act 1996 to remove "appearance laws".
The current appearance provisions of the Act allow the Chief Commissioner of Police to re-categorise firearms (make them more difficult to acquire) based on them having a "militaristic-style appearance".
There is no transparent process for how the Chief Commissioner (or, in reality, their delegates) should apply this discretion, no objective standard, and no requirement for the legitimate uses for the firearms in question to be taken into account.
These laws do nothing to aid public safety and have the great potential to deny licensed firearm owners access to appropriate firearms for competition and hunting applications based solely on someone's subjective appraisal of how the firearm looks. Regardless of your particular shooting style and personal taste in firearms, it is crucial that decisions that impact firearms ownership are objective and evidence-based - Victoria's current appearance laws do not meet that simple standard.
Jeff Bourman's bill is set to be debated in the Victorian Upper House when it returns from the winter recess. Whilst it is unlikely that the bill will pass, it is an important principle being fought for.
SSAA Victoria has made it very simple for shooters to email their Upper House Members of Parliament and ask them to support these practical and uncontroversial changes. The Association has provided subject lines and sample messages as a guide - please feel free to edit them to make your message more personal.
Appearance laws don't make sense, help to put an end to them
Jeff Bourman MP has a bill before the Victorian Parliament (Firearms Amendment Bill 2022) that seeks to amend the Firearms Act 1996 to remove "appearance laws".
The current appearance provisions of the Act allow the Chief Commissioner of Police to re-categorise firearms (make them more difficult to acquire) based on them having a "militaristic-style appearance".
There is no transparent process for how the Chief Commissioner (or, in reality, their delegates) should apply this discretion, no objective standard, and no requirement for the legitimate uses for the firearms in question to be taken into account.
These laws do nothing to aid public safety and have the great potential to deny licensed firearm owners access to appropriate firearms for competition and hunting applications based solely on someone's subjective appraisal of how the firearm looks. Regardless of your particular shooting style and personal taste in firearms, it is crucial that decisions that impact firearms ownership are objective and evidence-based - Victoria's current appearance laws do not meet that simple standard.
Jeff Bourman's bill is set to be debated in the Victorian Upper House when it returns from the winter recess. Whilst it is unlikely that the bill will pass, it is an important principle being fought for.
SSAA Victoria has made it very simple for shooters to email their Upper House Members of Parliament and ask them to support these practical and uncontroversial changes. The Association has provided subject lines and sample messages as a guide - please feel free to edit them to make your message more personal.