Governments agree: drive up the price of firearms and ammo for regional users

Frequent occupational users of firearms in remote areas are bracing themselves for price shocks when key parts of the new National Firearms Agreement 2017 are put into force by State and Territory governments.  Despite claiming to support deregulation and the reduction of red tape that hurts businesses, the State and Federal governments have agreed to BAN any transport of firearms with any shipment of ammunition.  Clause 57 of the NFA 2017 warns us: “Jurisdictions will introduce or maintain legislation to ensure that … (d) the commercial transport of ammunition with firearms is prohibited … ”

Add to freight costs, discourage pest control

Firearms dealers in remote areas often have to carefully manage inventory and minimise their overhead expenses (like freight) so that they can offer decent prices to farmers and other firearms users.  Forcing firearms, parts and ammunition to be split into separate deliveries is raving madness.  Trucks carry these goods hundreds of kilometres into remote areas.  Forcing the goods into separate shipments is huge, unnecessary cost.  It’s impossible to see how hard-pressed transport companies will profit or how it will contribute to any community safety.  After all, the very same NFA 2017 tells us: “packages containing firearms must not be packaged or labelled in such a way as to expressly or otherwise indicate their contents.”

Illegal importers face no additional costs

One thing is for sure: organised criminals illegally importing thousands of firearms by post every year surely aren’t labelling their brown boxes.  Maybe instead of punishing farmers for fighting invasive pests that cause hundreds of millions of dollars of lost farm productivity every year, we could spend the Police effort on catching organised criminals instead?

Next time you buy ammunition, and wince at the extra dollars out of your pocket, spare a thought for farmers, too.