❓ A WA parliamentary question addresses firearm licensing issues, including application backlogs, IT system downtime, reasons for application refusal, and discrepancies in licensing records. The response provides data on backlogs, clarifies IT issues, cites legislative basis for refusals, and acknowledges data limitations.
AnsweredQoN 7313Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the firearm licensing role of Western Australia Police, and I ask:
(a) what is the current backlog for firearm licence applications;
(b) can you advise for what period over Christmas 2011 the firearm licensing IT system was not functional;
(c) what number of applications were delayed during this downtime;
(d) what is the legislative basis for refusal of all applications where an applicant is applying for a shotgun;
(e) if there is no legislative basis, has there been a change of policy, and if so what is that change; and
(f) how many persons who held a firearms licence on 1 January 2011 and have not surrendered them are now listed as unlicensed on the system?
(a) what is the current backlog for firearm licence applications;
(b) can you advise for what period over Christmas 2011 the firearm licensing IT system was not functional;
(c) what number of applications were delayed during this downtime;
(d) what is the legislative basis for refusal of all applications where an applicant is applying for a shotgun;
(e) if there is no legislative basis, has there been a change of policy, and if so what is that change; and
(f) how many persons who held a firearms licence on 1 January 2011 and have not surrendered them are now listed as unlicensed on the system?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
20 March 2012
Responded by
Minister for Police
Response time
26 days
(a) There are currently 1071 applications in the assessment process with 401 of these awaiting further information from the applicants.
(b) The licensing system was always functional. There was a 3 week period between late November and early December 2011 where an IT problem prevented applications from arriving from Australia Post
(c) 400 applications failed to arrive.
(d) The legislative basis for refusal of any application is found within section 11 of the Firearms Act and outlines the requirement for genuine need and genuine reason to obtain a firearm and allows for the Commissioner of Police to determine a person's fitness to be granted an original licence or an additional firearm for the category of firearm applied for.
(e) N/A
(f) WA Police are unable to supply the details for January 2011.
There are currently 2512 persons listed as having an expired firearm licence but who may be a co-licensee, the firearms may be in approved storage or the licensed person has moved overseas or interstate and not provided advice to Police in this State.
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(b) The licensing system was always functional. There was a 3 week period between late November and early December 2011 where an IT problem prevented applications from arriving from Australia Post
(c) 400 applications failed to arrive.
(d) The legislative basis for refusal of any application is found within section 11 of the Firearms Act and outlines the requirement for genuine need and genuine reason to obtain a firearm and allows for the Commissioner of Police to determine a person's fitness to be granted an original licence or an additional firearm for the category of firearm applied for.
(e) N/A
(f) WA Police are unable to supply the details for January 2011.
There are currently 2512 persons listed as having an expired firearm licence but who may be a co-licensee, the firearms may be in approved storage or the licensed person has moved overseas or interstate and not provided advice to Police in this State.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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