Yahoo News reports
Firearms ownership is on the rise in NSW with the number of new gun permits more than doubling in the past decade, the Greens say.
In 2002, 29,618 permits were issued by the NSW firearms registry, and had jumped to 66,460 in 2012, figures released by NSW Greens justice spokesman David Shoebridge show.
He says the government and opposition are part of the problem due to their political binds to the Shooters Party, which holds the balance of power in the state's upper house.
"The former Labor government created the pro-gun Game Council in a 2002 deal with Shooters MPs and Barry O'Farrell has continued the deals with hunting in National Parks," Mr Shoebridge said in a statement.
"Unless we start tightening up the rules to get a firearm, we risk losing the gun control advances achieved in the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy."
People across NSW wanted politicians to "stand up to the gun lobby and work to control gun numbers" as more legal firearms in the state provides greater opportunity for criminals to steal guns, Mr Shoebridge said.
Oh, I wish I had an Australian Dollar for every time one of the gun-rights fanatics told us guns were banned in Australia. What is it that makes the pro-gun folks think they can make up stuff like that?
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