Farm guns in criminals’ sights

Organised crime gangs are raiding rural properties to steal guns as firearm ownership booms and police try to crack down on dangerous criminals possessing weapons.

Organised crime gangs are targeting farms to steal guns as the number of registered firearms soars across the state.

Most firearms being registered are airguns, rifles or shotguns.

As outlaw bikies and other gangsters look to challenge the state government’s tough Firearm Prohibition Orders — which give police the power to search people on the list and their homes and vehicles without a warrant — there are also two teenagers aged under 18 on the gun ban list.

Victoria Police figures show there were 832,154 registered firearms in Victoria at the end of June last year — up from 737,304 three years ago.

With Victoria’s population sitting at 6.5 million, this equates to one registered firearm for every eight people in the state.

Firearms are back in the spotlight after a spate of deadly shootings in Melbourne recent months — the worst since the city’s bloody gangland war — and many of the killers are still on the run.

New laws seek to restrict gun ownership to licensed and responsible owners. Picture: AAP

Police are also concerned about “gun selfies” being posted on social media, potentially tipping off criminals and knowing who to target.

A senior Victoria Police firearms officer said rural properties were easy targets for crime gangs.

“The people who have registered firearms are extremely law abiding and are really good,” the officer said.

“There has been a lot of firearm theft from organised groups and they seem to find out where they are and where they are stored.

“They target people with a good number of firearms in their possession.”

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the increase in firearms being registered was consistent with renewal trends, firearm acquisition patterns and population growth.

She said the tough laws ensured that only suitable people were licensed, firearms were stored safely and those sold met strict criteria based on needs.

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“Aside from licence renewal processes, existing licence holders are subject to ongoing monitoring, review and storage facility inspections through the duration of the licence,” she said.

Police also established the illicit firearms investigation team in a bid to stop firearms trafficking.

She said the tough laws ensured that only suitable people were licensed, firearms were stored safely and those sold met strict criteria based on needs.

“Aside from licence renewal processes, existing licence holders are subject to ongoing monitoring, review and storage facility inspections through the duration of the licence,” she said.

Police also established the illicit firearms investigation team in a bid to stop firearms trafficking.

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@AleksDevic