Concern over increase in northern beaches firearms following release of figures

Police figures have revealed that gun owners on the northern beaches are stashing away up to 211 legal firearms each — and it has prompted calls for the State Government to strengthen laws to prevent the stockpiling of weapons. SEE HOW MANY GUNS ARE IN YOUR SUBURB.

• Teen hospitalised after spider bite
• Gun ownership on the northern beaches

Private gun owners across the northern beaches are stashing away up to 211 legal firearms each, startling new police figures show.

In some of our suburbs more than 1000 guns are registered to locals.

In Dee Why there are a total of 1303 legal firearms in private homes.

There are concerns over the number of guns on the northern beaches. Picture: Stock

Gun-control lobby advocates say authorities should be concerned about the increasing numbers of firearms held in “private gun stashes”.

Official gun ownership figures, collated by the NSW Firearms Registry, reveal that one resident of Terrey Hills owns 211 firearms.

An individual in Belrose owns 181 guns, while a person living in the Elanora Heights/Narrabeen/Ingleside area has 160 firearms.

NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge. Picture: Peter Rae

In Collaroy/Wheeler Heights one enthusiast has 144 guns in their home.

The new gun ownership data, obtained from the NSW Police under freedom of information laws and released by The Greens, has prompted calls for the State Government to strengthen laws to prevent the stockpiling of weapons in the suburbs.

NSW Greens gun control spokesman David Shoebridge said with Labor cutting deals with the Shooters and the Liberal and National parties “neither of the major parties can be trusted to keep us safe from guns”.

Mr Shoebridge said most people would be staggered to see the surge in gun numbers in their neighbourhoods.

“While the Premier is preaching to Labor on guns, she has been in charge while gun numbers have exploded across the state,” he said.

“There is no reason whatsoever for anyone in Sydney to have hundreds of guns.

“Gun numbers are growing so quickly because of a loophole that allows gun owners to use the same ‘genuine reason’ to get their first, second and 300th gun.

Liberal Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Picture: Jane Dempster

NSW Labor leader Michael Daley. Picture: Monique Harmer

“The most common reason given is for hunting. This is used to build up these large private gun stashes.”

There are now more than 1 million registered guns in NSW, and 90,000 have been registered in the past two years alone, according to the NSW Firearms Registry data.

WHERE THE GUNS ARE

TOP 10 NORTHERN BEACHES SUBURBS FOR NUMBER OF REGISTERED FIREARMS:

● DEE WHY: 1303

● ELANORA HEIGHTS/INGLESIDE: 1258

● BEACON HILL/ALLAMBIE HEIGHTS: 1100

● COLLAROY: 879

● AVALON/BILGOLA: 671

● TERREY HILLS/DUFFYS FOREST: 650

● BALGOWLAH: 646

● MONA VALE: 640

● BELROSE/DAVIDSON: 628

● FRENCHS FOREST: 588

TOP 10 NUMBER OF GUNS HELD BY A SINGLE REGISTERED OWNER:

● TERREY HILLS/DUFFYS FOREST: 211

● BELROSE/DAVIDSON: 181

● ELANORA HEIGHTS/INGLESIDE: 160

● COLLAROY/WHEELER HEIGHTS: 144

● BEACON HILL/ALLAMBIE HEIGHTS: 91

● MONA VALE: 43

● DEE WHY: 36

● FRENCHS FOREST: 31

● AVALON/BILGOLA: 29

● Source: NSW Firearms Registry