SYDNEY, NSW – Walter Mikac, who lost his wife and two daughters in the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, has expressed deep concern over proposed changes to New South Wales gun laws that would legalize silencers and recognize a “right to hunt” on public land.
Mr. Mikac accused NSW Premier Chris Minns of doing a backroom deal with the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, which has introduced a conservation hunting bill.
The minor party claims the bill is designed to get more hunters involved in controlling invasive species, but Mr. Mikac argues it would provide greater access to guns and undermine Australia’s firearms restrictions introduced in the wake of the 1996 massacre.
In a letter to Premier Minns, Mr. Mikac pressed the Labor leader to strongly declare his stance on guns, warning that the proposed changes would “undo the only positive thing that came out of Port Arthur that day – the political commitment for Australia to have one of the strongest firearm safety frameworks in the world.”
Premier Minns responded, saying the government saw no place for privately-held silencers, ballistic vests, and night-vision goggles in NSW.
However, he left the door open to supporting part of the bill that establishes a Conservation Hunting Authority, which critics argue would be controlled by hunting organizations and the gun lobby.
Mr. Mikac urged the premier to reconsider, saying the proposed bill “is nothing more than a Trojan horse for the gun lobby, which has a vested interest in more guns and more gun owners in Australia.”
Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party leader Robert Borsak argued that the bill “has nothing to do with firearms or firearm laws” and would allow people to hunt in areas with invasive species.
However, invasive species experts have expressed skepticism, saying science shows game hunting is not an effective method of feral animal control.
The public is encouraged to write to their local representatives to express their concerns about the proposed changes to NSW gun laws.
For more information on how to get involved, visit the NSW Government’s website.