The Federal Government has put up $161.3m to be invested over four years to establish a National Firearms Register.

It comes after the tragic events at Wieambilla, Queensland in December 2022 where Constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold, and neighbour Alan Dare were shot and killed by religious extremists, Gareth, Nathaniel and Stacey Train, at a remote property 300 kilometres to Brisbane’s west.

Nathaniel Train, a former principal of Walgett school, was a licenced gun holder who had his licence suspended six months before the shootings.

Police have said Nathaniel Train was still able to purchase ammunition around the Wieambilla region in the lead up to the shooting because he still had a physical copy of the weapons licence.

 Police have also explained that they had been unable to serve the suspension notice on Nathaniel Train as they could not locate them and therefore he still had the physical copy - meaning that the ammunition was in effect legally purchased after he showed the licence when making the purchase.

Nathaniel Train's licence had been suspended after police found he had illegally dumped weapons at the Queensland/New South Wales border in December 2021, breaching COVID-19 border rules.

 Police officers with portraits of slain police officers Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow. Image: The Australian.

The register will allow police officers to access near real-time information on guns, gun parts and licensed owners, and link weapons information with other intelligence including from the National Criminal Intelligence System.

The new registry will mean that state and territory firearms management systems upgraded to be compliant with the new Commonwealth database.

Gareth Train's house in Wiembiella. Image: ABC.

On the day of the terrible event, the Queensland police officers were pursuing a missing person report for Nathaniel Train and attempting to serve him with an arrest warrant.

“Once established, police will know where firearms are, who owns them, and what other risks to the community and police may exist,” a statement released by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said.

“The Australian government is committed to protecting the Australian community and ensuring Australia’s firearms laws remain among the most effective in the world.”