Former alderman Jeff Briscoe slams new gun rules as ‘ridiculous’

A former Hobart alderman has slammed new gun rules as akin to asking a cyclist to get a lorry licence to ride their bike. Read more.

Jeff Briscoe with his Brooks of Birmingham 1830 percussion musket. Picture: Chris Kidd

A former Hobart aldermen has slammed new rules requiring him to get a gun licence for an heirloom bushranger gun that he says hasn’t been used for 100 to 150 years.

Jeff Briscoe says his 1830s muzzle loading gun, that uses gunpowder and shot, was left to him by his father Roy, a policeman, who died in 1997.

“It was a gift from dad who was a police inspector and war veteran and it has sentimental value,” he said.

Jeff Briscoe with his Brooks of Birmingham 1830 percussion musket. Picture: Chris Kidd

“I have kept it in storage in a cupboard and no-one knows it is there.

“You have to reload the shot and it’s not a high performance weapon.

“I’m a law abiding citizen and making me get a gun licence is like expecting you to get a lorry licence to ride a bike. Next you will need a licence to use a chainsaw or a steak knife, where will it stop?”

Under the new rules, owners of muzzle-loading pre-1900 firearms, many of which cannot be fired, will soon need to obtain a gun licence and comply with the same storage rules as other gun owners.

Previously there was an exemption which allowed people to possess certain pre-1900 firearms without a licence, registration and storage requirements.

Mr Briscoe said the gun dated back to the 1830s and had probably been used to shoot rabbits or “scare off bushrangers”.

Brooks of Birmingham 1830 percussion musket. Picture: Chris Kidd

He said he did not want to pay hundreds of dollars for a gun licence that would have to be renewed regularly, subject to random checks and to undergo training for a licence.

“It’s ridiculous. This was done without consultation.

“I don’t mind registering it and I have asked for an exemption which seems far more logical.”

Mr Briscoe said he recently bought a gun safe and it would be “sad” if the gun was destroyed.

“Why should I have to get rid of it or pass it to others in the family?

Assistant Commissioner Rob Blackwood said the changes aimed to improve community safety, as antique and fake guns could still be used to threaten people.

He said excluding the category of pre-1900 firearms was not consistent with the intent of the Firearms Act 1996, or with the expectations of the Tasmanian community.

Originally published as Former alderman Jeff Briscoe slams new gun rules as ‘ridiculous’