The National Shooting Council (NSC) says the NSW Gun Registry have begun a crackdown that is unfairly targeting people with mental illnesses. 

Peter Zabrdac, Vice President with the NSC says that what he perceives as a recent crackdown on war veterans, prison officers and police officers might be paving a way for a wider restriction on all gun licence holders. 

Mr Zabrdac told the Western Plains App the problem appears to have begun when last year Department of Veteran Affairs card holders were offered free gun licences. 

As part of their paper work application they were asked whether they had a mental illness. 

“If they said no and it was found out they had then it was automatic loss because you were not seen as a fit and proper person,” he said. “If they said yes, many of them were just automatically getting their licences either refused or actually had their guns taken away from them. The onus was then put on them to provide evidence that they were mentally sound”. 

Farmer, Off-Duty Police Officers Also Impacted 

David Murray from Murtech Munitions in Coonamble agreed that the mental health grounds process for approving gun licences in NSW was often discriminatory. 

“You can be a farmer who goes to the doctor with depression and the next thing you know is that you are at risk of having your gun taken away from you,” he says. “I know of one instance where someone was misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder and he had a licence taken away.”  

Murray said there was nothing in that person’s notes to suggest they were violent or unstable, but a doctor had just made an aside note that the person may have bipolar disorder. “The police got a hold of his medical records and took his gun away” he said. 

He said he also knew of veterans who had recently lost their licences and had to go through litigation in attempts to restore their licences. 

“They have only done this not only to veterans, they have done this to prison officers and to serving police officers who want gun licenses outside of their working hours,” Zabradac argued. 

The Western Plains App has learned a recent NSW Police Commissioner’s directive has been made that if any NSW police officer that is on extended sick leave for mental health reasons they are to have their firearms licence suspended. . 

Under the NSW Firearms Act 1996 “a licence must be not be issued if there has been any previous attempt by the applicant to commit suicide or cause a self-inflicted injury, or the applicant’s intemperate habits or being of unsound mind”. 

Some have criticised the concept of "unsound mind" as being too vague and able to be too broadly construed in its application. 

A spokesperson from NSW Police told the Western Plains App “The NSW Firearms Licence renewal process includes a question on mental health conditions; this is the same process for every licence holder applying for renewal and all new licence applications." 

If the Registry becomes aware that a licenced firearm holder suffers a mental health condition requiring treatment, the firearms licence will be suspended and the firearms will be seized by police, until a medical professional indicates there is “virtually no risk” to public safety, including the risk of self-harm. 

“All firearms licence holders and any new licence applicants are treated the same if the Firearms Registry becomes aware of mental health conditions”. 

However, RR Zabrdac told the Western Plains App he knows people who lost their licences despite having provided the required medical evidence.

"But the firearms registry has either just ignored the request for review or disregarded the medical evidence,” he said. 

Gun used by NSW Police. Image: NSW Police. 

Mr Zabrdac believes that the crackdown has its roots in the coronial inquest into the 2018 Edwards shootings. The coroner found a "wholly inadequate" NSW Firearms Registry failed to perform its key responsibility when it granted gun licences to John Edwards, who shot dead his two children and then himself. 

President of Gun Control Australia Tim Quinn wants more not less done to make sure a gun licencee was psychologically fit. He said he hoped that the approach of checking applicant’s mental health check is formalised by the NSW Government. 

“Western Australia is formalising mental health police checks if they have the information hinting that it is an issue for an applicant. NSW will follow suit soon I would hope,” Quinn told the Western Plains App

“Veterans obviously need to go through the same processes of mental health checks as any other citizen. The public in general would expect and want police to scrutinise licence applicants thoroughly. This is not the USA”. 

 

“Shooters in WA are being lined up for mandatory regular mental health checks – and have just found out that the government is banning many of the larger calibres that they use.” Zabrdac warned “I have a feeling it won't be long before all licence holders are subjected to this here”.