The Alannah & Madeline Foundation and the Australian Gun Safety Alliance welcome Western Australia’s commitment to public safety through their new gun reforms that were announced today.
In 1996, Alannah and Madeline Mikac were tragically killed alongside their mother and 32 other people at Port Arthur in Australia’s most tragic mass shooting.
The Alannah & Madeline Foundation is a proud founding member of the Australian Gun Safety Alliance, a group of like-minded organisations working in community safety.
Following Port Arthur, all Australian governments agreed on a range of gun reforms that have lifted the standard of public safety from firearm violence.
The WA reforms come after extensive consultation and achieve a fair balance, ensuring licensed firearm owners can still use firearms appropriately.
We look forward to more detail being released and discerning how much safer Western Australians will be from the threat of firearm violence.
Spokesperson Stephen Bendle said, “Our National Firearms Agreement set minimum requirements for the management of firearms and encouraged jurisdictions to use their discretion to improve on those nationally agreed standards.
“We applaud the WA government, and Police Minister Paul Papalia in particular, for their single mindedness in ensuring that firearms possession and use remains a privilege that is conditional on public safety. During consultations with the government, we were encouraged by the wide range of initiatives they were considering. We look forward to seeing the detail.”
For further information, interview requests or images, please contact:
Simone Redman-Jones – PR & Media Manager, Alannah & Madeline Foundation
0499 202 001 or simone.redmanjones@amf.org.au
Available for interview:
Stephen Bendle Advocacy Advisor, Alannah & Madeline Foundation
Convenor, Australian Gun Safety Alliance
Image: Police Minister Paul Papalia will unveil the Cook Government’s long-awaited rewrite of WA’s outdated gun legislation. Inset: Weapons seized by WA Police in recent months. Credit: The West Australian
