Wieambilla shootout: Calls for gun licence applicants to face mental health check

Mental health checks to secure or renew a gun licence should be considered after the Wieambilla shooting, say the head of the police union and lawyers.

Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers at Chinchilla Police Station on Tuesday. Picture: David Clark / NCA Newswire

Mental health checks to secure or renew a gun licence should be considered in Queensland after the Wieambilla shooting, according to the head of the state’s police union and lawyers.

Police are now investigating the suspected mental instability of one of the shooters, Gareth Train, who held a gun licence, after the discovery of numerous online posts espousing bizarre conspiracy theories.

In posts, Train ranted about the “Jesuit World Order” and police, and described convicted Port Arthur shooter Martin Bryant as the “perfect patsy” for the 1996 mass killing of 35 people, staged to enable a crackdown on gun ownership.

Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll on Tuesday said a risk assessment would have been completed in line with standard practice before police visited the property. “All police do risk assessments,” Ms Carroll said.

“Those risk assessments are quite thorough and we will look at that in our investigation.”

Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers said his understanding of the risk assessment was that it did not raise “any concerns” about the known occupants of the property. “They weren’t well known to police, there wasn’t anything (on police files) to suggest there was any reason to be concerned,’’ he said.

Mr Leavers said the tragedy should prompt consideration for mental health checks to secure or renew a licence. “Guns are not dangerous in the right hands, but they are very dangerous in the wrong hands. We have to be extremely cautious and appropriate checks need to be done to ensure that only fit and proper people are allowed to hold a gun licence.”

Queensland criminal lawyer Bill Potts, a former Queensland Law Society president, said mental health checks were not required under Queensland law to hold or renew a gun licence.

Gun licence holders need to prove a requirement for a gun, including farmers and sporting shooters, and checks on their criminal records are conducted.

Mr Potts, who has represented people in hundreds of weapon offences cases, said a criminal record check did not show if an applicant had a history of mental illness.

“I think it is time we look at this, like they are in the US with the ‘red flag’ laws, where people with a disturbing history of political engagement or extremism, domestic violence or strange behaviour can have their licences taken away.

“There should be a requirement that a person is not suffering mental illness when they seek a licence and that they are checked every year.’’

This year, US legislators have debated incentives for states to introduce “red flag” laws after the spate of mass killings.

A Palaszczuk government spokesman would not comment about proposed mental health checks for gun licences.

Ms Carroll said “considerable weaponry was involved” in the shooting, with community members suggesting the remote home had been fortified.

A coronial inquiry and a critical incident investigation will be undertaken to determine what happened and try to uncover the motive behind the incident that has shocked the community and nation.

Ms Carroll said the investigations would likely unearth learnings that could prevent a similar incident in the future, while also praising the response effort of special officers.

“We will go back (and) revisit every aspect of this,” Ms Carroll said.