The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, assured gun lobbyists that he had no plans to strengthen firearm laws in the state despite agreeing to a national crackdown after the Bondi beach massacre.<\/p>\n
In a letter signed a day before the government entered caretaker mode for the state election on 21 March, Malinauskas told a peak shooters group that SA had some of the strictest gun laws in the country and there was \u201ccurrently \u2026 no plans to amend\u201d them.<\/p>\n
The position represents the latest blow to Anthony Albanese\u2019s hopes for uniform nationwide gun control reform<\/a>, as more states walk back from the national cabinet commitment after 15 people were killed and dozens injured in the 14 December shooting at a Hanukah event at Bondi beach.<\/p>\n The prime minister secured agreement from premiers and chief ministers to pursue stricter gun controls across the country, including caps on the number of firearms a person could own.<\/p>\n At the time, Malinauskas argued South Australia\u2019s firearms laws were the toughest in the country but the government was prepared to further strengthen them.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile we as a state are already in a position with the strongest firearms laws in the country, we\u2019re not going to allow ourselves to fall behind because others get in front of us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email<\/a><\/p>\n But two months on from Australia\u2019s worst-ever terror attack, and on the eve of a state election, Malinauskas signalled a different position in a letter to the Sporting Shooters\u2019 Association of Australia.<\/p>\n \u201cI can advise that the South Australian government currently has no plans to amend firearm laws,\u201d the premier said in the 21 February letter, seen by Guardian Australia.<\/p>\n \u201cSouth Australia already has some of the strictest and most comprehensive firearms laws in the country. These laws are designed to protect the broader community while recognising that the overwhelming majority of firearms owners in South Australia are responsible, law-abiding citizens who comply with their obligations.\u201d<\/p>\n SA already limits gun ownership to Australian citizens and permanent residents, and requires licences to be renewed at least every five years \u2013 two of the reforms agreed at national cabinet.<\/p>\n Hand guns and rifles handed in during the Australian government gun amnesty in 2017. Photograph: Dean Lewins\/AAP<\/p>\n Malinauskas left the door open to future changes but said any consideration of new laws would be \u201capproached carefully, thoughtfully and with genuine consultation\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cResponsible firearms owners deserve certainty, fairness and respect, and reforms must always be grounded in evidence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The premier offered a similar response when Guardian Australia sought clarification this week as to whether a re-elected state Labor government would implement the national cabinet agreement.<\/p>\n \u201cWe only have an interest in amending the gun laws to the extent that they are based on evidence and that needs to be thought through very carefully, and that\u2019s our policy,\u201d Malinauskas said.<\/p>\n The federal government was initially hopeful the states and territories would agree to \u201cambitious\u201d reforms no later than March this year and pass laws through their parliaments no later than 1 July.<\/p>\n \u201cGun laws are only as strong as the weakest state. Having laws that are national and consistent, is vital to their effectiveness,\u201d the prime minister and the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said on 19 December as the federal government announced the biggest gun buyback since the Port Arthur massacre.<\/p>\n But after the NSW parliament was recalled before Christmas<\/a> to pass new gun laws, which included a cap on the number of firearms a person could own, other states and territories have largely gone in their own direction.<\/p>\n