Crime Stoppers launches campaign targeting unregistered firearms

More than 2300 firearms were surrendered to police in the past six months but more needs to be done to keep illegal weapons out of the hands of criminals.

The Darling Downs has the unenviable title of leading the state in the number of guns stolen in 2021.

Often they are stolen from farms by opportunistic criminals searching for soft targets as Australia is home to an estimated 250,000 unregistered long arm firearms and 10,000 handguns.

Now Crime Stoppers is calling on the owners of these illegal weapons to do the right thing and hand them in during the second part of its Illicit Firearms campaign.

Detective Senior Sergeant QPS Firearms and Cannabis Team Tony Parsons said the Darling Downs district was a target for criminals searching for guns because of the high rate of gun ownership in the area.

“The Crime Stoppers campaign provides an avenue for the community to take some responsibility in combating the illicit firearms market through providing information to Crime Stoppers,” he said.

“This information from the public enables investigators to take action and remove these firearms from people in the community, who should not have them and are looking to harm others.

Darling Downs Police recorded 62 charges for unlawful possession of a firearm offences in 2021 while it recorded nine counts of unlawful possession of a concealable firearm.

There were a total of 494 Weapons Act Offences in the same period.

More than 2300 illegal firearms arms were handed in during the first phase of the Crime Stoppers campaign and it hopes to repeat these numbers in the second phase.

In December, 2020 a network of thieves targeted farms near Millmerran while the owners were either on holiday or in hospital.

In each case they were looking for tools and firearms and given the isolated nature of the properties they had plenty of time to tear open gun safes.

A recent property crime blitz near Kingaroy netted two firearms at the rural home of a man who threatened police.

Crime Stoppers Queensland Director Greg Beale urged people in possession of illegal or unregistered firearms to hand them in.

“Now is the time to reduce firearm violence on our streets and in our homes,” said.

“Queenslanders can feel safe knowing that when reporting illicit firearms in your community to Crime Stoppers, you will remain anonymous.”

Being caught with an unregistered or illegal firearm brings fines of up to $66,725, 13 years in jail and a criminal record.