Geraldton MLA Kirrilee Warr welcomes firearm buyback extension, vows to push for end to Labor’s new reforms

Geraldton MLA Kirrilee Warr has vowed to continue to push for Labor’s controversial gun laws to be axed, after the State Government reopened the firearm buyback window. Earlier this week, new Police Minister Reece Whitby made the announcement, apologising to responsible firearm owners for the changes, but said the legislation overhaul was done to help make the community safe. He said firearm owners of rapid release action firearms who handed them in prior to April 14 would be compensated, and that a new round of buybacks would begin on the same day. Ms Warr said the move was welcomed, after the Nationals had kept the pressure on the rollout of the new laws. “Despite repeated refusals from the former police minister to consider a further buyback, I welcome the decision by the new minister to listen to reason and extend this program,” she said. “This will ensure owners and dealers caught out by the sudden ban on rapid release and push-button firearms, or other firearms owners who were simply waiting to see the detail of the regulations before they made a decision, have an opportunity to receive compensation for their loss. “The minister must also make it clear whether those who surrendered their firearms between January and March this year will be able to retrospectively access the buyback.” Up to 90-day temporary licences were issued by police to allow firearm owners to transition to the new laws, which came into effect on Monday. Ms Warr said she would continue to advocate for fair reform, which would improve community safety without punishing responsible firearm owners. “The minister has an opportunity to reset the Government’s relationship with the firearms community after years of hostility and contempt under his predecessor,” she said. “These laws have been chaotic from the outset, and Labor’s last-minute backflips only confirm what firearms owners in Geraldton and the Mid West have been saying all along — these laws were rushed, poorly communicated, and out of touch with reality on the ground.”