Nick Dametto slams safety bill for ‘unfairly’ targeting licensed gun owners

KAP deputy leader Nick Dametto says his party had ‘no choice’ but to vote against a community safety bill set to bring in new measures to curb crime, claiming it also unfairly targets licensed gun owners.

KAP Deputy Leader and Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto in state parliament with KAP Leader and Member for Traeger Robbie Katter and KAP Member for Hill, Shane Knuth. Picture: Supplied

KAP deputy leader Nick Dametto says his party had ‘no choice’ but to vote against a community safety bill set to bring in new measures to curb crime, claiming it also unfairly targets licensed gun owners.

The Queensland Community Safety Bill 2024, which recently passed through state parliament, introduces new measures to combat crime, including expanding ‘Jack’s Law’ to help police crack down on knife crime.

While Mr Dametto admitted that some parts of the bill could reduce crime, he was furious about the inclusion of “over 40 pages of Weapon Act changes.”

The new amendments tighten restrictions by automatically disqualifying individuals with recent serious criminal convictions or relevant court orders from holding or renewing a firearms licence.

The Member for Hinchinbrook, known for his staunch defence of the shooting community, warned that the changes could “put at risk an estimated 20,000” licenced firearms owners across the state.

Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto on private property at Plum Tree Creek at The Pinnacles, near Townsville. Picture: Evan Morgan

He claims he wasn’t given the chance to speak during the debate of the bill in parliament, so the KAP members had “no choice” but to vote the entire bill down.

“It’s difficult to explain everything that was wrong and misleading about this bill, but one thing is for certain — it was nothing to do with community safety and everything to do with trying to reduce the amount of licenced firearm owners in Queensland,” Mr Dametto said.

He tore into the process leading up to the bill, claiming that the lack of genuine stakeholder consultation “put the whole industry off-side right from the start.”

The public submission period, he said, was “grossly inadequate,” sparking anger across the shooting community.

“It’s no secret there are government members and bureaucrats who are anti-firearms, and this was most likely their final chance to try and inflict pain and detriment to the law-abiding firearm community before the October state election,” Mr Dametto said.

The MP was also shocked that the bill was backed by the LNP, saying: “Firearms are tools of the trade relied on by so many regional Queenslanders, and for the coalition to turn their backs on that should come as a shock to many. We all know Labor only cares about Brisbane, but if the Opposition doesn’t want to represent regional Queensland and supports reckless legislation like this, then how are they any different from Labor?”

He said a small reprieve for the shooting community came with a last-minute amendment introduced by Police Minister Mark Ryan MP that allowed in cases where a person has no conviction recorded it won’t count as a “disqualifying offence” for the purposes of applying for a firearms licence.

Police Minister Mark Ryan at Parliament House in Brisbane last week. Picture: Dan Peled / NewsWire

Minister Ryan addressed concerns in parliament last week, clarifying that the firearm prohibition order scheme targets only high-risk individuals with a history of violence or criminal connections, not law-abiding firearm owners.

“The scheme is not designed to target farmers or employers; instead, it places the obligation of compliance on the high-risk individual themselves,” he said.

The bill was resolved in the affirmative after being read a third time in parliament last Thursday.

Only six MPs voted against it, including the three KAP members Nick Dametto, Robbie Katter and Shane Knuth, along with two Greens Michael Berkman, Amy MacMahon and independent Steve Andrew.

Originally published as Nick Dametto slams safety bill for ‘unfairly’ targeting licensed gun owners