ACTION IN N.S.W.

Evening Post, Issue 11, 13 July 1936, Page 8

ACTION IN N.S.W.

CONTROL OF FIREARMS

BILL TO ASSIST POLICE

(From "The Post's" Representative.) SYDNEY, June 18. The growth of crimes of violence in New South Wales, and especially the increased use of firearms in committing them, have stirred the State Government to make the path of the transgressßr harder and that of the police easier. Senior police officers have been pressxng for the revision of the law for more than five years. During that time the police have been almost powerless to correct many extra- ■ ordmary anomalies. Revolvers and pistols have been manufactured abroad specially to defeat the provisions of the New South Wales, law, and known criminals have carried about weapons of which they could not legally be deprived. It is now hoped that, if the public gives assistance, the most dangerous of all criminals—the "gunmen" carrying a concealable firearm—will find it more and more difficult and eventually impossible, to obtain weapons. . '

Under the present law, a "concealable' pistol or revolver has a barrel not more than nine inches long Before action was taken by the Commonwealth Government recently it was possible to import from abroad wj.th very little supervision, weapons with barrels nine and a half inches long, or longer,'which could be concealed without difficulty. Long barrels could also be sawn off to leave a compact but still highly effective weapon. Under the Customs Act, the importation of revolvers arid pistols and their parts is now possible only under special licence. The State's amending Bill, which will regulate the sale, use, and possession of firearms, gives a new definition of concealable weapons which will permit the police to take drastic action where now they can do little.-

The legislation will give to the police a powerful new weapon in dealing with the dangerous criminals. In'the opinion of some police officers, however, the Bill still has some dangerous loopholes. They believe that all firearms, no matter what their size, should be registered. It is known that in the past, .some of the worst criminals in the State have rarely travelled far without a rifle. It is also considered that there should be a check of some sort on ammunition, which is now sold freely. The system of issuing licences to householders and others with legitimate claims to weapons of self-defence is already strictly supervised, but some police consider that the, law in this respect is still not strong enough.

In recent years police have found and destroyed hundreds of revolvers and pistols which could legally be seized. In spite of all their efforts, they have found that dangerous criminals, as soon as they have lost one weapon, have somehow acquired another, and they have discovered that a criminal traffic exists in the procuring and sale of weapons. Even after the new Bill becomes law, there will still be three mam sources of supply for the criminalsI —weapons smuggled into the country, those obtained from other States where the laws are lax, and those stolen from persons who have a legitimate claim to them.

Revolvers and pistols are sometimes smuggled into the country, usually on vessels from Germany, Belgium, and the United States. Customs officers now make the strictest search for concealed weapons, but there is always the possibility of smuggling at parts of the coastline where it is almost impossible to keep a close watch. Weapons obtained in other States can be brought into New South Walea without difficulty, and there seems little hope of blocking this avenue until all the States act together.

"From our point of view, this new Bill is the most important introduced since the Consorting Act," said a senior detective. "The 'gunman,' if armed, is the most dangerous member of society, but if we can lake his gun from him. he is usually the most cowardly of all criminals."