Australia's Strict Gun Laws To Be Challenged By New Rapid-Fire Shotgun

Australia is considered a model of gun safety. But is the debate over our strict laws about to re-open?

Since the tragic shooting at Oregon’s Umpqua Community College last week (the 294th mass shooting in America this year), the world’s attention has turned to Australia, which President Barack Obama cited as an example of responsible gun legislation soon after the murders took place.

Our strict gun laws were introduced in 1996 by then Prime Minister John Howard, following the Port Arthur massacre in which 35 people were killed and a further 23 were wounded.

Though the anchors at Fox News think Australia’s common sense gun laws mean we actually “have no freedom”, Australia has not seen a mass shooting in nearly twenty years.

But the gun debate may soon re-open, with a controversial new shotgun set to cross into our shores once it meets the requirements of a “year-long importation ban”, ABC News reports.

The latest Adler lever-action shotgun is an update on a previous, eight-round iteration, banned under new laws created soon after the Martin Place siege of 2014.

Last month, the Federal Government agreed to import the new Adler shotgun (with fast firing rate and five-shot magazine) in September of 2016, as requested by NSW Liberal Democratic senator David Leyonhjelm.

Acting Shadow Minister for Justice Graham Perrett is now calling on the Government to extend the ban and include the new weapon, concerned about the 700,000 licensed recreational shooters to whom the firearm would become available.

Senator Leyonhjelm has said there are already shotguns on the Australian market quite similar to this new import.

However, John Howard has re-emerged to criticise the import, warning the Government about chipping away at gun legislation.

"[Australians] think it's something we got right and I think we should keep it that way."

In the wake of our own shocking local shooting, expect much more debate as to how Australian lives should be protected from gun violence in the weeks and months to come.

Correction: An earlier post incorrectly stated that the Adler lever-action fires seven rounds from one magazine, as opposed to five. Student Edge regrets the error.