Illegal handguns
Reverend the Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes: My question without notice is directed to the Minister for Police. Is the Minister aware that illegal handguns are becoming the weapon of choice for firearm-related crime in Australia? Is the Minister aware of a recent study conducted by the Australian Institute of Criminology that found that the proportion of handgun use has increased? In particular, is the Minister aware of the disturbing statistic that only 2 per cent of handgun crimes involved registered handguns and that a survey of police detainees interviewed in 2005-06 showed that most had obtained their handguns from family or friends, private sale or street sources such as drug contacts? Given the menacing evidence, can the Minister indicate the strategies that will be deployed to prevent illegally imported handguns coming into New South Wales and to reduce the black market trade of illegal handguns on the streets of Sydney?
The Hon. Tony Kelly: I thank Reverend the Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes for this very important question. Some of the concerns he has raised are fact. For example, very few crimes are committed by people with registered guns or by licensed shooters, and the fact is that guns are being imported into Australia. Various of these issues were discussed at a ministerial council of police Ministers that I attended recently. I will take the member’s question on notice to ensure that I can release the information publicly before I give him an answer, which I will do as soon as I can.
Deferred answer
On 11 November 2008 Reverend the Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes asked the Minister for Police a question without notice regarding illegal handguns. The Minister for Police provided the following response:
The NSW Police Force has advised me:
While the Australian Institute of Criminology report quoted by the Honourable Member shows an increase in handgun homicides as a percentage of all homicides over the period 1996-2006, it should be noted that the total number of homicides involving firearms decreased over that time.
The Firearms and Regulated Industries Crime Squad targets the illegal trafficking of firearms and works in conjunction with partner agencies including State and Federal Crime Commissions, Police and Customs.
