Thousands of stolen guns on Qld streets as black market explodes

Thousands of guns reported stolen in Queensland in the past five years remain unaccounted for with just a portion recovered by authorities, new figures reveal.

Stolen guns are on Queensland streets.

Thousands of guns reported stolen in Queensland in the past five years remain unaccounted for with just a portion recovered by authorities, new figures reveal.

There were 3017 guns reported stolen in the past five years while more than 2000 remain missing.

The Queensland Police Service recovered 665 firearms in 2020-2024 with the outstanding thefts still under investigation, according to statistics.

The thefts come at a time where criminal figures are hunting for guns on the black market – sometimes paying thousands more than their worth – to help in their crimes and to use for protection.

Figures show the police service is also seizing more than 2000 guns annually, for instances such as licence expirations or a DV incident where a firearm was seized to protect a victim.

Acting Commissioner Shane Chelepy told The Courier-Mail that operations to seize illicit firearms had resulted in “good arrests” and would continue this year.

“Particularly those firearms that get stolen and fall into the wrong hands, end up on the black market, we will definitely target those firearms and we do all the time,” Mr Chelepy said.

The police figures show the Central region which has the Capricornia and Mackay-Whitsunday districts had the most reported firearms stolen last year with 149.

Queensland acting Police Commissioner Shane Chelepy. Picture: Tertius Pickard

In March police charged 41 people with 178 offences in the Capricornia district in a major operation which uncovered a drug laboratory, drugs, cash and two firearms.

The Southern region including Darling Downs, Ipswich and South West districts had 126 reported stolen firearms last year, the North Coast encompassing Moreton, Sunshine Coast and Wide Bay districts had 122, while Far Northern had 67 and Brisbane 55.

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission estimates there are 200,000 illicit firearms circulating nationwide, made up of about 190,000 long arms and 10,000 handguns.

Gympie gun dealer Ron Owen said if anyone ever approached his shop with stolen items they were immediately thrown out and reported to police.

He said he had seen firearms police had brought in which officers had seized, some which were rusty and sawn off.

“I would imagine some would pay a lot of money,” Mr Owen said of a criminal buying a gun on the black market.

Mr Owen said criminals found many ways to steal firearms in locked safes, including stealing the entire safe if they couldn’t cut through it.

The figures come as there are about 228,000 weapons licences in Queensland with more than one million registered weapons.

Mr Owen said with the number of registered firearms in Australia the number of stolen items in Queensland was not significant.

“When you look at the enormity of the figures when you look at car stealing or breaking and entering, it’s not huge figures,” he said.

The police service launched Operation Whiskey Firestorm in January, targeting firearm security and people with illegal firearms in Queensland.

It was launched after 1,055 firearm licences were revoked in 2024 and more than 3,290 offences involving firearms which included attempted murder, assault, robbery and unlawful entry.

A QPS spokeswoman said the operation had successfully seized illicit firearms, disrupted criminal networks and held offenders accountable.

“Each firearm removed from unlawful possession is a step toward safer communities,” she said.

“QPS continues to take intelligence-driven action to combat firearm-related crime, enhancing policing strategies to reduce stolen firearms and prevent their misuse.”

“The service is also working closely with licensed firearm owners to improve security measures and conducts routine audits to ensure compliance with storage and safety regulations.

“Unsafe firearm storage increases the risk of theft and criminal misuse.”