NSW Farmers supports their reclassification from Category A to B – meaning anyone wishing to access them must make it clear the purpose for which they are being used. 

Being a farming lobby group, we understand the valid reasons farmers have for needing sensible access to firearms.

It’s common knowledge that better tools for pest control are desperately needed, with pest numbers building in rural areas in recent years. 

Open access to high capacity firearms is something we are very cautious about though.

We’ve clearly communicated our position to the state government, that there must be hoops to jump through before firearms can be purchased. 

The five shot Adler 110 is not currently banned, and is still classified as a Category A firearm.

However, the seven shot version (the gun at the centre of recent debates) remains banned. 

There’s been no meaningful reform achieved from either side of the debate for the past fortnight.

The focus of the recent state and Commonwealth discussions has been around a proposal to reclassify the five shot capacity Adler from Category A to Category B and the seven shot Adler (currently banned) into Category D. NSW Farmers would support this. 

If the seven shot were the be reclassified as Category D – and the ban lifted – there would need to be a serious conversation with the NSW Government about how farmers who need Category D firearms can actually get access. 

We’ve approached Deputy Premier Troy Grant about access to Category D weapons. NSW Farmers received assurance this would be open for discussion in the New Year.  

Simone Norrie is the South West Regional Services Manager for NSW Farmers. You can contact Simone on 0427 773 495 or norries@nswfarmers.org.au. Her south-west region stretches to Hay and Griffith in the west, down to the Victorian border (including Leeton, Narrandera, Coleambally, Jerilderie, Berrigan, Bunnaloo and Deniliquin) and  Wagga up to Gundagai and down to Albury (including Tumut, Lockhart, Urana and everywhere in between).