Firearms

Lee Rhiannon has been a Greens spokesperson on firearms issues since her election in 1999. Prior to being elected as a Greens MP Lee was an active campaigner for tighter gun control laws. As a Greens MP Lee has called for a ban on all semi-automatic weapons, has been a strong opponent of the Game Council and has exposed the ties between the Shooters Party MPs and NSW Labor.

Stop The Sale of Zoo Animals to Shooters
In August 2009 Lee exposed a scandalous deal where a Shooters Party member was purchasing endangered Blackbuck Antelope from Dubbo's Western Plains Zoo to breed on his game reserve. The purchaser, Bob McComb is also the head of the Adventure and Safari Council and plans to turn his game reserve into a commercial safari hunting business, where people would pay to shoot the Blackbuck antelope. Both the Zoo and the Environment Minister Carmel Tebbutt defended the deal.

Send an email to voice your opposition:
Western Plains Zoo - wpz@zoo.nsw.gov.au
Environment Minister Carmel Tebbutt: dp.office@tebbutt.minister.nsw.gov.au

See Lee's media release
See page 1 story in Sydney Morning Herald
See ABC news story

Ban hunting in NSW National Parks and State Forests
In June 2009 the Game and Feral Animal Control Amendment Bill was introduced into the NSW Upper House by Shooters Party MP Robert Brown, that would pave the way for hunting in national parks, private game reserves, the hunting of native species and the growth of recreational shooting on public and private lands (Sydney Morning Herald, page 6, 12 June 2009). Lee called on the Environment Minister Carmel Tebbutt to reject outright a new bill from the Shooters Party. The Government has withdrawn its support for the bill but it is still before parliament.

See Lee's campaign to abolish the Game Council
See Ian Cohen's media release
Send an email via NCC website

The Greens have been campaigning against so called conservation hunting since the Shooters were first successful in amending the Game and Feral Animal Control Bill in 2006 to open up state forests to hunting of feral animals by recreational shooters.

See Lee's archived campaign page
See Ian Cohen's campaign page
See NPA website

Re-introduction of Duck Season in NSW?
In May 2009 Lee questioned Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald in Parliament over the NSW Game Council's apparent resumption of the native duck shooting season in NSW. The Game Council has advertised its intention to run a Game Bird Education Program for recreational hunters who want to begin shooting native ducks.

See Lee's media release

The Shooters Party ties with NSW Labor
In NSW the gains of the Shooters Party have been won with strong support from NSW Labor. In return, the Shooters Party vote with the government on unpopular legislation.

Shooters MPs have voted to pass crucial government legislation that the Greens and other cross benchers did not support, e.g.:

Law and order bills - Crimes Act, various amendments
Workers Compensation Legislation
Planning laws - Environmental Planning and Assessment Act amendments (Part 3A) and Environmental Planning Legislation Amendment bills
Gene Technology (GM Crop moratorium) Bill 2003
Threatened Species Legislation
Keeping the Greens off the Political Funding Inquiry

See the full background on Shooters Party ties with Labor.

Latest news:

Newcastle shootings should halt a further relaxation of NSW gun laws — by Alison Orme — last modified Jul 09, 2010 01:02 PM: Greens MP and Hunter spokesperson Lee Rhiannon is calling on the NSW government to back her private members bill for a ban on semi-automatic hand guns, following the Mayfield shooting which involved a prohibited .38 calibre handgun.
Greens' bill abolishes Game Council and ends hunting state forests, national parks — by Alison Orme — last modified Jun 24, 2010 11:10 AM: Greens MP Lee Rhiannon was last night given urgent leave by the NSW Upper House to introduce her private members bill to abolish the NSW Game Council and prohibit recreational hunting in national parks, state forests and public land.
Summary of Firearms Legislation Amendment Bill 2010 — by Alison Orme — last modified Jun 11, 2010 10:50 AM
Heavily armed security guards alarm Greens — by Lee Rhiannon — last modified Jun 07, 2010 04:57 PM: March 12, 2010, LOUISE HALL reports that amendments to state firearms legislation allow security guards to carry prohibited firearms.
Warning over gun legislation debate — by Lee Rhiannon — last modified Jun 15, 2010 04:34 PM: ELLIE HARVEY June 7, 2010 Sydney Morning Herald
Labor and Shooters move to relax NSW gun laws as news of Cumbrian massacre breaks — by Alison Orme — last modified Jun 29, 2010 10:35 AM: Greens MP Lee Rhiannon has condemned the government for allowing the Shooters Party MP Roy Smith to today introduce a broad ranging private members bill designed to relax gun laws on the day of the West Cumbrian massacre which left 12 dead and 11 injured.
Labor must reject Shooters push to weaken gun laws — by Alison Orme — last modified Jun 03, 2010 08:20 AM: Greens NSW MP Lee Rhiannon warned that Shooters Party amendments to the Keneally government's Weapons and Firearms Bill would increase the number of military-style assault weapons in this state.
Orphan deer exposes irresponsible shooting programs — by Lee Rhiannon — last modified Jul 09, 2010 01:53 PM: Commenting on the Illawarra orphan fawn linked to activities of local recreational shooters, Greens MP and animal welfare spokesperson Lee Rhiannon has called on the NSW government to scrap the Game Council and ensure all culling programs are undertaken by professionals.
Gun laws weakened in NSW — by susie — last modified Mar 12, 2010 12:04 AM: I unfortunately had two disallowance motions overturned in the NSW Upper House this week. They related to two regulations that the NSW Labor government had passed in December last year, which weakened gun ownership laws in NSW.
NSW government wooing Shooters Party MPs with weaker firearms regulations — by susie — last modified Jul 09, 2010 02:13 PM: Greens MP and firearms spokesperson Lee Rhiannon said the new NSW regulations that water down gun control measures appeared to be an attempt to mend bridges with the Shooters Party following last year's falling out over their controversial Game and Feral Animal Control Bill that sought hunting in national parks.

Next 10 items » [1] 2 3 4 ... 6

Sections

Firearms

Latest news:

Document Actions