POLICE — GEL BLASTERS — LEGAL STATUS
305. Hon MARTIN ALDRIDGE to the minister representing the
Minister for Police:
I refer to the minister's
media statement of Monday, 14 June 2021, titled ''Government moves to
outlaw gel blasters in Western Australia''.
(1) Of the 500
high-level responses nationally quoted in the statement, how many have occurred
in Western Australia?
(2) Will the
minister please table the request of the WA Police Force to the government
seeking gel blasters to be listed as a prohibited weapon?
(3) Will the
government consider a buyback scheme to accompany the amnesty period,
recognising that owners have lawfully purchased these guns?
(4) From what date will gel blasters be considered a prohibited
weapon, and when and how will the amnesty occur?
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of this question. The following information has been provided to me
by the Minister for Police.
(1)–(4) The Western Australia Police Force advises that
officers responded to 147 responses involving gel blasters during 2020. Cabinet considered the police
recommendation to regulate gel blasters as prohibited weapons. The WA
Police Force sought this important reform in the interests of community and
officer safety for a range of reasons, including gel blasters'
resemblance to conventional firearms; their proliferation in the community and
increased use in armed shooter incidents, leading to concerns that a person
wielding a gel blaster or their victim could be shot; gel blasters'
ability to be converted to create workable firearms; and intelligence regarding
criminals' use of gel blasters, including to create illegal firearms.
The
Western Australia Police Force advises that there is no provision in the new
legislation for any buyback, as the possession of these weapons is
arguably a criminal offence and they remain illegal to import into Western Australia.
The reforms are on schedule to commence from 3 July 2021. People currently in
possession of a gel blaster are encouraged to hand it in to police. Section 6(2)
of the Weapons Act 1999 supports the amnesty
by enabling the delivery of items to police without fear of prosecution for its
possession.