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In Tasmania Election, Talk of Easing Gun Regulations


FILE - The date and place "Sunday, 28th April 1996 Port Arthur" are engraved on a memorial in Port Arthur, Tasmania state, Australia, to honor the 35 people killed by a lone gunman.
FILE - The date and place "Sunday, 28th April 1996 Port Arthur" are engraved on a memorial in Port Arthur, Tasmania state, Australia, to honor the 35 people killed by a lone gunman.

Australia’s smallest state, Tasmania, began voting Saturday in a local assembly election, with the incumbent conservative Liberal Party stirring controversy by promising softer regulations for gun ownership if it is returned to power.

The Liberals’ move to shore up support among gun owners and rural voters is a sensitive issue in Tasmania, as Australia’s worst mass murder took place on the island in 1996, when a gunman killed 35 people at Port Arthur.

The state Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management Rene Hidding, wrote to firearms owners in early February promising a re-elected Liberal Party would extend gun ownership license periods by up to 10 years, reduce penalties for storage offenses and establish a council to represent gun owners.

FILE - A tourist reads names on a memorial, at Port Arthur, Tasmania state, Australia, where 35 people were killed by a lone gunman, April 18, 2016. The 1996 massacre galvanized Australia to drastically clamp down on guns.
FILE - A tourist reads names on a memorial, at Port Arthur, Tasmania state, Australia, where 35 people were killed by a lone gunman, April 18, 2016. The 1996 massacre galvanized Australia to drastically clamp down on guns.

1996 shooting

Following the 1996 mass shooting, Australia banned all semi-automatic rifles and all semi-automatic and pump-action shotguns, and introduced a restrictive system of licensing and ownership controls.

Australia has had no mass shootings since then and has held amnesties to encourage the handing in of unregistered firearms.

Anti-firearms advocates in the United States have pointed to Australia’s success in reducing gun crimes as an example that the United States could follow in response to a shocking series of school shootings.

Controversy on election eve

The controversy over plans to relax gun laws in Tasmania erupted on the eve of the election, after the contents of Hidding’s letter to firearms owners became widely known.

“Only a re-elected majority Hodgman Liberal Government can continue to provide Tasmania’s lawful firearm owners with a supportive, responsible framework,” the letter said.

The Liberals have primarily campaigned on jobs and the economy, and on Friday party leaders sought to reassure voters that their stance on gun laws was nothing to be alarmed about.

“We are aware of the sensitivities around these issues and we are seeking to find the balance, one that supports our families that work in the rural sector but which is not inconsistent with national gun laws,” Tasmania’s premier Will Hodgman said in comments reported by the ABC on Friday.

The Liberals hold 15 seats in Tasmania’s 25-seat House of Assembly and need to win at least 13 in this election to retain their majority.

Tasmania’s population of 519,000 people have until 6 p.m. Saturday to cast their vote, with results expected to begin trickling in later Saturday night.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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