On the weekend of the 16th anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre, the Australian Greens have re-issued their call for a ban on semi-automatic handguns.

“The Government’s renewed focus on gun reform is a good start but does not go far enough,” Greens spokesperson for Legal Affairs, Senator Penny Wright, said.

“Public safety is our overriding concern.

“Recent incidents, including several shootings in Sydney, have highlighted that semi-automatic handguns are the weapon of choice for criminals.

“We don’t have a full understanding of how these criminals are acquiring the handguns.  While some certainly are being illegally imported, it appears that just as many are stolen from legitimate sources within Australia.

“Better sharing of intelligence between law enforcement agencies is critically important to address the thousands of illegal guns on the street right now. But if we want to restrict gun crime in the future, we also need to limit the number of guns in the legal market.  Doing so will eventually limit the number of guns falling into criminal hands.

“A potential ban on semi-automatic hand guns should be on the agenda when Police Ministers meet in June.”