❓ A parliamentary question regarding a violent assault on a firearms owner and the alleged publication of a map aiding gun thieves. The Minister strongly denies the claim and accuses the member of spreading misinformation.
AnsweredQoN 355Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FIREARMS OWNERSHIP — ASSAULT
355. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Police:
I refer to the shocking break-in
and violent assault of a registered firearms owner, which included the victim
being doused with methylated spirits and set alight last month.
(1) What contact has the minister had with the victim,
and can the minister update us on the victim's condition?
(2) Is this truly
shocking criminal act what the minister expected to happen when he produced a treasure
map for gun thieves and had it published by the news media?
Several members
interjected.
The DEPUTY
SPEAKER : Order, members! The minister will respond. No-one else needs to.
355. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Police:
I refer to the shocking break-in
and violent assault of a registered firearms owner, which included the victim
being doused with methylated spirits and set alight last month.
(1) What contact has the minister had with the victim,
and can the minister update us on the victim's condition?
(2) Is this truly
shocking criminal act what the minister expected to happen when he produced a treasure
map for gun thieves and had it published by the news media?
Several members
interjected.
The DEPUTY
SPEAKER : Order, members! The minister will respond. No-one else needs to.
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) Member,
no map was published that gave addresses of gun licence owners. That is a ridiculous,
juvenile, ill-informed and, frankly, offensive suggestion. What was published
was a map that was produced by the Western Australia Police Force and modified
to enable publication. It did not give addresses of firearms licence holders,
and it certainly did not give the address of the firearms licence holder to
whom the member referred. That is a ridiculous claim. I can only think the
member garnered that from social media. He has gone to a Facebook post and
assumed that something was factual because some clown had put it on Facebook.
That is the only thing I can assume. That the member would grace such a ridiculous
claim with a question in Parliament is embarrassing for the member and for the
opposition, and it makes no positive contribution to the discussion.
The theft of firearms happens
regularly. The whole intent of some of the most recent amendments to the
Firearms Act, which included about 15 recommendations from the 2016 Law Reform
Commission report, was to increase penalties for the theft of firearms. The
member stood in this place and suggested that he supported the legislation, but in the other place some embarrassing
debate took place and some embarrassing delaying tactics were employed
by the member's colleagues that actually delayed the implementation of
the laws to address the problem the member is referring to. It was embarrassing
and shameful. It is a disgrace that members should have conducted themselves in
that way. I know there is no collaboration between the opposition parties in
this place and the other place, let alone between the two members who are
sitting together, but it is really dangerous when the other place disrupts
legislation purely as a delaying tactic and enjoys the opportunity to delay
actions and changes to the law to address dangerous situations like the one to
which the member referred.
no map was published that gave addresses of gun licence owners. That is a ridiculous,
juvenile, ill-informed and, frankly, offensive suggestion. What was published
was a map that was produced by the Western Australia Police Force and modified
to enable publication. It did not give addresses of firearms licence holders,
and it certainly did not give the address of the firearms licence holder to
whom the member referred. That is a ridiculous claim. I can only think the
member garnered that from social media. He has gone to a Facebook post and
assumed that something was factual because some clown had put it on Facebook.
That is the only thing I can assume. That the member would grace such a ridiculous
claim with a question in Parliament is embarrassing for the member and for the
opposition, and it makes no positive contribution to the discussion.
The theft of firearms happens
regularly. The whole intent of some of the most recent amendments to the
Firearms Act, which included about 15 recommendations from the 2016 Law Reform
Commission report, was to increase penalties for the theft of firearms. The
member stood in this place and suggested that he supported the legislation, but in the other place some embarrassing
debate took place and some embarrassing delaying tactics were employed
by the member's colleagues that actually delayed the implementation of
the laws to address the problem the member is referring to. It was embarrassing
and shameful. It is a disgrace that members should have conducted themselves in
that way. I know there is no collaboration between the opposition parties in
this place and the other place, let alone between the two members who are
sitting together, but it is really dangerous when the other place disrupts
legislation purely as a delaying tactic and enjoys the opportunity to delay
actions and changes to the law to address dangerous situations like the one to
which the member referred.
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