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Adler ban: ministers fail to reach agreement on reclassifying shotgun Adler ban: ministers fail to reach agreement on reclassifying shotgun
(35 minutes later)
Federal, state and territory governments have failed to agree on reclassifying the Adler shotgun, meaning the importation ban remains in place.Federal, state and territory governments have failed to agree on reclassifying the Adler shotgun, meaning the importation ban remains in place.
Federal justice minister Michael Keenan made the announcement on Friday after the first session of a meeting with ministers in Melbourne on Friday. Federal justice minister Michael Keenan made the announcement on Friday after the first session of a meeting with ministers in Melbourne.
However, Keenan said the meeting had agreed on national gun amnesty to begin in mid-2017. However, Keenan said the meeting had agreed on a national amnesty for illegal firearms to begin in mid-2017.
Keenan said there was a majority view on reclassifying the Adler, but the national firearms agreement required unanimous agreement.Keenan said there was a majority view on reclassifying the Adler, but the national firearms agreement required unanimous agreement.
“In the absence of a unanimous agreement between all jurisdictions, the prohibition on the importation of lever-action shotguns remains in place,” he said. “In the absence of a unanimous agreement amongst all jurisdictions, the prohibition on the importation of lever-action shotguns that the commonwealth government has put in place will remain,” he said.
Keenan said the Council of Australian Governments meeting would continue to discuss the issue, and did not reveal the commonwealth’s preferred classification for the weapon. The ban on importation lever-action shotguns with a magazine capacity greater than five will remain until there is unanimous agreement and it is implemented in every jurisdiction.
He said discussion of the Adler will continue “out of session”, between this meeting and the next one in six months. Keenan did not reveal the commonwealth’s position or the majority view of states and territories on the weapon’s classification.
The federal government has not ruled out lifting the Adler importation ban after the classification is agreed. He said the issue had been discussed in good faith and “with a bit of goodwill” a unanimous decision may emerge on what he called a “difficult decision”.
Keenan said the Council of Australian Governments meeting would continue to discuss the Adler classification “out of session”, between this meeting and the next one in six months.
The federal government’s ban on the importation of Adler shotguns may be lifted if and when states agree to reclassify the weapons above the current level, category A, the lowest category.
The Adler ban and the suggestion the Abbott government offered to sunset the ban in return for David Leyonhjelm’s vote on an unrelated piece of legislation has become a major source of instability in the federal government.
On Thursday Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Dutton and Michael Keenan contradicted the former prime minister’s insistence that neither he nor his office authorised a deal.
Keenan said the amnesty would allow people “who for whatever reason are in possession of an unregistered firearm to hand it in without any fear of being prosecuted”.Keenan said the amnesty would allow people “who for whatever reason are in possession of an unregistered firearm to hand it in without any fear of being prosecuted”.
It is expected to start in mid 2017 and will be administered by each state.It is expected to start in mid 2017 and will be administered by each state.
Keenan promised tougher penalties for gun smuggling, including five year mandatory minimum sentences, and called on Labor to back the measure. Keenan and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission also released the first unclassified assessment of illicit firearms, revealing that there are 260,000 illegal guns in Australia.
Keenan said 250,000 of those are long arms and 10,000 are handguns.
“Illegal firearms do remain a deadly weapon of choice for organised criminals,” he said.“Illegal firearms do remain a deadly weapon of choice for organised criminals,” he said.
He said the amnesty was not a buyback and was “not aimed at law-abiding [firearms] owners”.
Keenan said the Coalition was committed to tougher penalties for gun smuggling, including five year mandatory minimum sentences, and called on Labor to back the measure.
The ACIC chief executive Chris Dawson said the use and acquisition of illicit firearms was a serious national problem.
“Criminals use weapons for both intimidation and use in crimes and one illegal firearm in the Australian community is one too many,” he said.
The report found an increasing number of organised crime groups, including outlaw motorcycle gangs are trafficking illicit firearms.
However, it noted there was also demand from “firearm enthusiasts with no previous criminal involvement influence ... sourcing rare items from the illicit market”.
Dawson said the illegal movement of firearms is compounded by the high degree of anonymity the online environment offers firearm vendors and purchasers.
At a press conference in Sydney on Friday, Turnbull said the classification and regulation of firearms was a matter for the states and did not express the commonwealth’s view on the Adler’s classification.
He said both the Abbott and Turnbull governments were committed to the temporary ban of the shotguns until state and territories agreed to reclassify them.
“Everybody agrees that the classifications should be strengthened from where they are at the moment.”