Page 914 - Week 03 - Thursday, 14 March 1991
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weapons in that area. However, my Army service was not confined to my personal use or knowledge of weapons. Picking up on something Mr Moore said, one of the drills that sticks most in my mind is: When you have a jam, it is cock, lock and look. I seem to recall that that was the phrase that was drummed into me as a young infantry soldier.
As a recreational sporting shooter as well as a member of rifle clubs and clubs where gun-dogs and their owners are involved in non-slip retrieving and field trials, I am fully aware of the use of guns and the potential for their abuse. In fact, last year, following an invitation from the organisers, I attended a gun-dog trial which Victorian gun owners had travelled to New South Wales to participate in. At that event I took the opportunity to discuss the issue with competitors from Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT. These trials were designed, of course, to enable dogs to prove their ability through competition, in the role for which they have been bred.
One of the matters that the Victorian visitors commented to me on was their concern about the permit to purchase system that applied in Victoria. A similar requirement was in the previous Bill that was tabled last year. I note that that has, in fact, been removed after discussions by my colleague the Attorney-General and his staff with the various groups who have an interest in that matter. As my colleague Mr Collaery said when he presented the Bill, the permit system in fact was a duplication and was unjustified.
While I acknowledge that no weapons Bill will completely ban the use of firearms in our society, this Bill provides a degree of control over their use with a requirement for firearm owners to justify their need to own and use a firearm. That is the key - to justify their need to own and use a firearm. The Bill proposed by my colleague Mr Collaery is designed to do just that, and to update existing control legislation.
Despite some suggestions from a well organised minority, who for some reason seem to have the view that they have an inalienable right to bear arms, I have no doubt that the majority of ACT residents, including responsible gun owners, agree with the need for the legislation. I seem to recall that the day before yesterday one of those people was speaking on ABC radio and that very point was in fact made. Many gun owners who have contacted me appear to have been given information that either deliberately misleads or at best misunderstands the nature of the legislation. I fully support the comments made on this matter by Mr Connolly on Tuesday, and I do not propose to go any further in that area.
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