Mps Run Harder On Gun Control

Sydney Morning Herald

Friday December 2, 1994

By LINDA MORRIS

The three non-aligned Independents in the State Parliament have stepped up their push for a referendum on proposed laws requiring firearms to be registered and locked up.

The Firearms Referendum Bill, introduced into Parliament yesterday by the Independent MP for Bligh, Ms Clover Moore, seems certain to lapse, however, as it is unlikely to win ALP and Coalition support.

Under the bill, firearms would be registered and stored in armouries to be established at gun clubs and police stations approved by the NSW Police Commissioner. Farmers would store their guns in bolted-down, tamper-proof steel cabinets.

Ms Moore said the bill had been prompted by the shooting deaths of five people in the inner-Sydney suburb of Surry Hills in August 1990 and the shotgun killing of Michael Marslew, 18, during an alleged armed robbery at the Jannali Pizza Hut in February this year. Three men charged with his murder have been committed for trial in the NSW Supreme Court.

Outside Parliament, Michael's father, Mr Ken Marslew, said he had lobbied for a referendum on behalf of a silent majority who recognised the need to get guns out of homes.

"There are responsible gun owners and they shouldn't be intimidated by this, but there are so many guns out there that aren't needed," he said.

Ms Moore conceded that the bill was unlikely to be debated before the election next March. The issues of gun registration and their storage outside homes were raised by the joint parliamentary committee but were not supported by either major party.

Gun law reform has been blamed for the Unsworth Government's election loss in 1988 and has left the Government and the Opposition nervous of reform.

The Opposition police spokesman, Mr Paul Whelan, said the ALP would allow the bill to be debated. He said it may be preferable to refer the issue back to the joint select committee on guns.

Ms Moore told Parliament that the referendum effectively asked the people of NSW if they wanted an increasingly violent society.

"It is asking whether we want to go down the American road," she said. "It is estimated that there is one gun for every four people in the community."