GUNS PLAN ‘BETRAYAL’

FORMER Premier Tony Rundle has labelled the Hodgman Government’s plans to water down gun laws as a betrayal of Port Arthur massacre victims and their families.

Mr Rundle, the Liberal Premier at the time of the 1996 massacre of 35 people, said he was totally opposed to the proposed changes.

“Tasmania was the catalyst for the Howard Government’s national gun laws and for Tasmania to appear to be the first state to be tinkering with them is quite unfortunate and I think is a betrayal of victims and their families,” Mr Rundle said.

FORMER Liberal premier Tony Rundle says Hodgman Government plans to water down gun laws are a betrayal of Port Arthur massacre victims and their families.

Mr Rundle was premier at the time of the massacre when 35 people were killed and 23 people wounded with semiautomatic weapons by Martin Bryant.

“I feel just as strongly now about the National Firearms Agreement as 22 years ago,” Mr Rundle said.

“Tasmania was the catalyst for the Howard government’s national gun laws and for Tasmania to appear to be the first state to be tinkering with them is quite unfortunate and I think is a betrayal of victims and their families.”

He said he agreed with comments from former prime minister John Howard who is “totally opposed” to any changes.

Former police minister Rene Hidding formulated an election policy which included a downgrading of penalties for firearms storage requirements, an extension of the gun licen- ces from five years to 10 years and allowing ownership of category C weapons, such as pump-action and rapidfire shotguns, to a broader range of sporting shooters. The Government has since agreed to a Legislative Council inquiry into the proposed changes.

Mr Rundle said there was a danger that if the national agreement was unpicked by individual states it would result in similar pushes interstate.

He also said Mr Hodgman was wrong to suggest none of the changes breached the agreement.

“The knock-on effect is the danger,” he said.

“I think making pump-action and self-loading rifles more widely available to bigger operations is definitely moving in the wrong direction.

“The lessening of penalties for the breach of storage requirements and allowing farmers to carry weapons in vehicles makes things less secure.”

He said an advisory committee the Government proposed to set up was “nonsense”.

“The members of this body would be paid $3000-$4000 a year with pressure on them to secure changes to justify their existence,” he said.

Mr Rundle said the nature of the Liberals’ election commitment made it nearly impossible for it to walk away from, because it had been welcomed by farmers and shooters.

“The Legislative Council may come to the rescue of the Government but I wouldn’t be too sure because members represent a number of rural electorates,” he said.

“In my view the Hodgman Government has been extra successful so it is a pity to see Will Hodgman embroiled in an unpopular fight early on in his second term.”

The proposed changes have sparked an angry response from people affected by the Port Arthur shootings, including 96-year-old survivor Ursula Wright, who has written to the Prime Minister and Premier.

Mr Hodgman declined to comment yesterday.