Nationals leader David Littleproud. Photo / Getty Images
“Look, it is a sad sign of the times that we have now reached a point where police need long arm weapons,” he told Nine’s Weekend Today.
“The reason is that side-arms have about a 15m effective accuracy range, so these longer weapons keep police safer and also allow them to respond more quickly.
“I think it is a precautionary measure and it is the right one to take, but it is sad that our society has reached this point.”
He pointed to the Bondi attack to show “why [these] precautions are necessary”.
Fifteen innocents were killed in the shooting at a Chanukah gathering on December 14, with dozens more injured and tears ripped in Australia’s multicultural social fabric.
Many have questioned why only three police officers were on duty at the time, especially a Jewish security group revealed it wrote to NSW Police expressing their concern.
With the country’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies under scrutiny, the Albanese government has announced a departmental probe into how federal and state services co-operate.
Littleproud said Victoria Police’s decision “gives people extra confidence”.
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