NSW: Gun ownership rising again in NSW
14 Dec 2008 4:06 AM
SYDNEY, Dec 14 AAP - Ownership of guns is on the rise again in NSW and so is the theft of guns, mostly from homes.
The Sunday Telegraph says figures from the NSW Firearm Registry obtained by the National Coalition of Gun Control show gun ownership has risen at the rate of 10,000 a year since 2004 to 687,138 in October this year.
It says the rise coincides with a deal cut by the NSW government and the Shooters Party to water down tough gun laws introduced in the wake of Tasmania's Port Arthur massacre.
The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics has also revealed that guns are being stolen at a rate of more than two a day, with the majority being taken from homes.
News Ltd says despite the worrying figures, the government and the Shooters Party have quietly agreed to a number of changes to gun laws introduced by former premier Bob Carr after the Port Arthur killings.
Shooting clubs will no longer have their licences automatically revoked for not disqualifying members who have been convicted of firearms offences.
In another change, the mandatory 28-day waiting period before a second or third gun can be acquired has also been scrapped.
Premier Nathan Rees told The Sunday Telegraph he was prepared to review gun laws to make it tougher for weapons to end up in the wrong hands.
