No limit on gun ownership in Tasmania after amendment fails
There will not be a cap on the number of guns a person can own in Tasmania, after the lower house voted not to amend the state government's firearms reform legislation.
The Tasmanian government's firearms law changes will not include a limit on gun ownership, despite an opposition amendment being defeated. The bill, which includes creating a Tasmanian national firearms register, a buyback scheme, and mandatory minimum jail terms for serious firearms offenses, is expected to pass the lower house and then the upper house later in the year.
Caps on the number of guns a person can own were not included in the government's bill and were not supported by the opposition. Labor, the Greens, and some independents had proposed a limit of five guns, or 10 for primary producers and sports shooters. The state government argued that restrictions would target law-abiding gun owners rather than criminals.
The government's proposal also included a fit and proper person test for license applicants, with amendments addressing family violence and the power to consider access to a person's firearms.
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