KAP state crossbenchers Rob Katter and Shane Knuth have slammed the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) resolution to tighten restrictions on lever-action shotguns.
COAG today agreed to reclassify lever action shotguns with capacity of greater than five rounds into category D, and lever action guns with a capacity of less than five rounds into category B.
Both were previously available to gun owners with a category A licence.
"The Queensland government's support to move the five shot to category B and the seven shot to category D is a knee-jerk reaction," Member for Mount Isa Rob Katter said.
"We, like many legal firearm owners are entirely disappointed at the emotional stance the government has taken on this issue.
"Lever-action shotguns are widely used, and any reclassification may trigger a taxpayer funded buy-back, which is simply not in the interest of Queenslanders," he said.
Mr Katter, who yesterday warned that any legislation would have trouble gaining passage through parliament, has repeated the KAP's stance against the move.
"The premier should expect a hostile parliament when trying to enforce any amendments to the National Firearms Agreement through the house," he said. "It is now up to the LNP and other crossbenchers to show resolve and support the KAP's position to stop the arbitrary reclassification of lever-action shotguns.”
In early November, an opposition disallowance motion regarding firearm dealership regulations was successfully passed through parliament with the support of Mr Katter and Mr Knuth, bringing about a defeat of a proposed government change.
Member for Dalrymple Shane Knuth said law-abiding firearm owners already have strong control measures in place.
"We need to be worrying about illegal importation of firearms, not restricting existing classifications further," Mr Knuth said. "I have no doubt this will become a controversial issue when it enters state parliament.”
Earlier this week, in an opinion piece published by the Queensland Country Life, the president of the Firearms Dealers Association of Queensland, Rob Nioa, together with Graham Park, president of Shooters Union Queensland, warned that “a vote to ban and confiscate legal firearms from licensed farmers and sporting shooters would almost certainly spell the end of her (Premier Palaszczuk’s) minority government and cement control of the next state parliament to One Nation and the Katter Australia Party (KAP)”.
Mr Nioa, Australia’s biggest gun dealer and Rob Katter’s brother-in-law, has imported over 22,000 Adler shotguns into Australia.