SA Liberal Party Firearms Statement
What we are proposing...
This statement sets out the South Australian Liberal Party’s position on firearms, public safety and lawful ownership, following recent national commentary in the wake of the Bondi terrorist attack.
The Bondi attack was a cruel act of evil that left many Australians, particularly Jewish Australians, feeling shaken and exposed.
What we need from national leadership is decisive action to stamp out antisemitism, not knee-jerk policy that fails to address the real and growing threat posed by antisemitic extremists.
Safe, Responsible and Sensible Regulation
The Liberal Party, in 1996, initiated strong laws for the protection of the public and for Firearms legislation reform.
The ethos of the Liberal Party has not changed.
Strong laws are always required for the protection of the public. Firearms legislation in South Australia already has strong gun laws and must continue with that focus.
Our position
The South Australian Liberal Party supports the lawful and responsible ownership and use of firearms. Firearms are a legitimate and necessary tool for many South Australians - particularly in regional and rural communities - for primary production, pest and stock management, recreational shooting, and heritage collecting. Law-abiding firearms owners are not criminals and should not be treated as such.
No further restrictions on lawful ownership
South Australia already has some of the strongest firearm laws in the country. The Liberal Party does not support legislation that further restricts lawful firearm ownership or imposes additional burdens on people who already comply with the law. We support sensible amendments to ensure Australian citizenship requirements for firearm licences, more rigorous background checks and stronger intelligence sharing.
We will not use South Australian taxpayer funds to pay for a Federal Labor buy back.
Focus on criminals, not compliant owners
Public safety is best protected by targeting illegal firearms and criminal misuse. The Liberal Party believes government effort and resources should be directed toward:
- preventing illegal firearms from entering the community;
- disrupting organised crime and firearms trafficking;
- enforcing strong penalties where firearms are used in the commission of serious offences.
Law-abiding firearms owners should never be used as a substitute for effective law enforcement or border control failures.
Strong penalties for illegal firearms and misuse
We draw a clear distinction between lawful ownership and criminal behaviour.
The Liberal Party supports:
- tough penalties for illegal possession, trafficking and use of firearms;
- strong consequences for offences where firearms are used to threaten or harm others;
- continued focus on intelligence-led policing to remove illegal firearms from the community.
Our commitment
A Liberal Government will provide certainty to lawful firearms owners. We will stand against further restrictions on lawful firearm ownership.
Our priority is on keeping South Australians safe by ensuring firearms are kept out of the wrong hands. That is why the focus must be on better intelligence sharing and a national firearm register. We will ensure firearms policy in South Australia remains fair, practical and grounded in common sense.