An extended government ban on the Adler A110 shotgun won’t stop use of “DIY kits” to enhance the firepower of similar weapons that have been approved, leading to renewed calls for the ban to be broadened.
Last week the justice minister, Michael Keenan, announced an extension of a one-year ban on the importation of the Adler A110 shotgun.
The ban was initiated in 2015 amid growing concerns about rapid-fire weaponry into Australia, as the state and federal governments grew closer to a review of the National Firearms Agreement.
But the ban has been criticised because of the ease in which other forms of Adler rifle can be converted to have a similar firing capacity.
The Adler 5+1 – which can still be imported in Australia and is already owned by about 7,000 Australians – can be easily converted to have an 11-shot firing capacity.
The chair of Gun Control Australia, Samantha Lee, said: “This ban gives Australians a false sense of security that rapid-fire weapons are being restricted under current laws – they are not. The move to ban the Adler 7+1 was simply a smokescreen to cover his reckless approval of the Adler 5+1.”
She added: “The minister has ignored the fact that the overwhelming majority of guns flowing into the illicit market actually come from the legal gun market through theft or illegal sale.”
“Criminal organisations would not bother to illegally import rapid-fire weapons when there are thousands already available in Australia – and the number is growing daily.”
Debate over the Adler ban – and whether it should be wound back or extended – is likely to be a highly contentious political issue for the federal government, particularly with the slim majority it retains in parliament.
Independent MP Bob Katter, who the government will depend on heavily for support in parliament, has been an advocate of the Adler 110, and has said it should be approved for importation.
The extended ban has been designated by Keenan as a further temporary ban. A final decision is likely to be made following the outcome of the review of the National Firearms Agreement.
Lee said: “We urge federal and state governments to focus on the real issues in the review of the National Firearms Agreement and ensure Australia’s gun laws are not watered down any further.”
