The NSW individual with the most guns lives in Cremorne on Sydney’s north shore and has an arsenal of 352 firearms.
Data obtained by the Greens shows there are dozens of people in the state who legally own more than 100 guns each. Eight of those own 200 or more each.
The party’s federal spokesman on justice, Senator David Shoebridge, said the number of guns in Australia had increased since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
“We know that in Australia there are now more guns than there were at the time of the Port Arthur massacre,” he told Crikey. “This is despite the proportion of people who have a gun licence continuing to fall.”
After two police officers were killed in Queensland last week a national conversation about gun laws was reignited. As Crikey reported earlier this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said after the tragedy that he would discuss practical ways to improve data sharing on gun ownership at the next national cabinet meeting.
After the Port Arthur massacre, Australian leaders made sweeping reforms to gun laws. Changes included an agreement to create a national gun registry, but the data on gun ownership remains patchy, with states and territories using various systems to report on it.
Shoebridge, who was a member of the NSW upper house until earlier this year, repeatedly took police in that state to court during his time in state Parliament to get information on which postcodes have the biggest gun collections.
“Individual gun owners are buying more and more guns and, in some cases, amassing private arsenals, which was never meant to happen under the national firearms agreement,” he said. “No federal government agency currently has oversight of the growth of gun numbers, or how to update the national firearms agreement to keep communities safe from emerging threats.”
The NSW ownership data was published by the Greens on a dedicated website, toomanyguns.org, where people can search arsenals by postcode.
Shoebridge said it was difficult to match the NSW data collection in other states and territories.
“Rather than having every jurisdiction in Australia holding firearms data in separate and incompatible systems, there should be a federal registry with real-time and consistent information on gun ownership and gun numbers,” he said.
“Ultimately we need gun laws fit for purpose in 2022 and beyond, and that requires politicians, state and federal, who have the courage to stand up to the gun lobby.”
