Libs push to relax gun laws betrays Port Arthur victims: Walter Mikac

Walter Mikac, who lost his wife and daughters in the Port Arthur massacre, is “flabbergasted’’ by Tasmania’s push to relax guns laws.

Walter Mikac says he’s ‘flabbergasted’ by Tasmania’s push to relax gun laws. Picture: Elise Derwin.

Walter Mikac, who lost his wife and two daughters in the Port Arthur massacre, says Tasmania’s push to relax guns laws is a “total betrayal” of those lost.

Mr Mikac told The Australian he was “flabbergasted” by the Tasmanian Liberals’ policy to water-down aspects of the laws, fearing it would undermine the National Firearms Agreement struck by John Howard after the 1996 tragedy.

Walter Mikac with daughters Alannah (L) and Madeline three months before they died.

“We would be totally betrayed to think that within a 20 year period they are looking at going back,” said Mr Mikac, whose wife Nanette and two daughters — Alannah, 6, and Madeline, 3 — were among 35 people murdered by gunman Martin Bryant.

He rejected the state government’s stance that the changes, which include extending access to semiautomatic weapons and creating a new category allowing “specialists” to access banned guns, were necessary to assist farmers and sporting shooters.

Walter Mikac’s handwritten note to his daughter Allanah on the first anniversary of the massacre. Picture: Supplied.

“This is not about making life easier; it’s about making life safe,” he said. “It’s about people having the most basic human right of being able to about their day to day life without the risk that they are going to get killed.”

He accused the Tasmanian Liberals of chasing gun lobby votes and warned that if the state’s proposed changes were enacted they would “undermine” the NFA.

“If the proposed (Tasmania) legislation gets through, there are lots of breaches to the NFA, so we are definitely in real danger (of it unravelling),” he said.

Walter Mikac with his nephew comfort each other at his family’s funeral.

He called on the Prime Minister to show the same kind of leadership in keeping the NFA together that was demonstrated by Mr Howard in its creation.

“Malcolm Turnbull was in the States last week saying ‘we will stay strong on our gun control’, so it may be time for him to put those words into action,” Mr Mikac said.

The election-eve changes to the state’s firearm laws — revealed today by The Australian — have been welcomed as “common sense” by shooters and farmers but attacked by gun control campaigners as “reckless” and “a square breach” of the NFA.

Walter and Nanette Mikac on their wedding day.

Premier Will Hodgman today said he would “check” whether the proposed changes breached the NFA, but that his Police Minister, Rene Hidding, had advised him that there were no breaches.

“We will certainly make sure that we are not in contravention of the national firearms laws or agreement,” Mr Hodgman told the ABC.

“We are very sensitive to these matters and we are seeking to strike an appropriate balance to support Tasmania’s strong farming community and the needs that they have, but I’m very sure we can get the policy right.”

Labor leader Rebecca White said the changes were “reckless and dishonest” and all but one — the introduction of infringement notices — were opposed by her party.

Walter Mikac with his wife Nanette, and daughters Alannah and Madeline.

The changes include extending the limit on gun licence duration from five years to 10, despite concern mental health can change in that time and downgrading “lesser” breaches of firearm storage laws to infringement notice level, rather than court summons, while ending mandatory weapon confiscation in such cases.

The policy — provided to the gun lobby but kept off the Liberal party’s website — would also extend ownership of Category C weapons, including pump action and rapid fire shotguns, to a broader range of sporting shooters.

As well, it flags a new “Category E” that would allow banned firearms to be used by unspecified “specialists” who have “lawful reasons to possess them”.