GOVERNMENT GUN SHOPS? The Victorian Greens have proposed a trial of 10 publicly owned supermarkets, arguing that essential groceries could become more affordable.

But what happens when we apply the same reasoning to something the Greens have not proposed: government-run firearms outlets? In this slightly satirical episode of Gun News Australia, we examine the supermarket proposal, the claimed savings, and the questions that any government retail scheme needs to answer – and take that one step further to see how we could end up with more gun shops. What would it cost? Who would pay? How would it operate? And how would success be measured? We also look at why firearms dealers face different licensing, security and recordkeeping obligations, and why the supermarket policy could be extended to keep the costs that we end up paying, down.

Subscribe to Gun News Australia for independent reporting on the upcoming Victorian and NSW State Elections: https://www.patreon.com/c/gunnewsaustralia/membership

Sources: Victorian Greens supermarket announcement (https://greens.org.au/news/media-release/vic-greens-take-coles-and-woolworths-public-supermarkets-30-essentials) and

ABC News reporting (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-08/victoria-greens-state-supermarkets-election-campaign/107239256).

#GunNewsAustralia #VictorianPolitics #TheGreens #FirearmsPolicy #LicensedShooters #VictoriaElection #GovernmentAccountability #AustralianPolitics

A BETTER WAY to regulate firearm use could cut red tape for shooting organisations, giving THEM more responsibility for licensing and range approvals — while limiting the role of police to conducting criminal-history checks.

It means bureaucrats would no longer be making decisions about something they know nothing about.

In this episode of Gun News Australia, we examine an accreditation model in which specialist shooting organisations could make technical decisions while government sets and enforces clear safety outcomes.

What would this mean for licensed shooters, clubs and ranges? We look at how sporting qualifications and lawful needs could inform decisions on lever-action and semi-automatic firearms, magazine capacities and remove any notion of firearm caps.

Appearance laws would also become a thing of the past.

We examine the comparison with electricity-network safety regulation, where operators manage serious technical risks under enforceable legal duties, audits and oversight. It’s a model of regulation called “safety case” management, which is used for other industries where there are risks managed by experts, such as aviation, pharmaceuticals and so on.

This is a proposal for review and a controlled pilot — not a removal of firearm laws.

Organisations could choose whether to participate, so the key decision will come down to efficiency for organisations, and not left with bureaucrats.

This model would remove unnecessary costs and red tape without affecting public safety outcomes. Tell us in the comments what your view of this is.

Subscribe to Gun News Australia for independent firearms-policy reporting, and support our work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/gunnewsaustralia/membership

#GunNewsAustralia #FirearmsPolicy #SportShooting #TargetShooting #FirearmsLicensing #ShootingClubs #Australia #PublicSafety

VICTORIA VOTES in November — and licensed shooters still need clear answers about what the major parties intend to do on firearms and shooting policy.

IN THIS EPISODE, we’re joined by Danny Ryan from Sporting Clays Victoria to discuss what shooters should be asking before polling day and why the election campaign is the time to get commitments on the record.

Gun News Australia has written to Victorian Labor, the Liberal Party and The Nationals asking each for the same three practical commitments: support for international-standard shooting facilities, a statutory mechanism for early consultation on major firearms policy, and a structured review of unnecessary regulatory burdens on licensed shooters.

This episode is not about telling anyone how to vote. It is about getting clear answers before the election so shooters can assess the positions for themselves.

The Victorian state election is on Saturday 28 November 2026.

Support Gun News Australia through Patreon and help fund the FOI, legal and investigative work behind the stories at patreon.com/c/gunnewsaustralia

#GunNewsAustralia #VictorianElection #FirearmsPolicy #LicensedShooters #ShootingSports #Victoria #TargetShooting #AustralianPolitics

SHOOTERS BACKED A PRO-SHOOTING PARTY — and the result gives us a real case study in what organised political action can and cannot achieve.

IN THIS EPISODE, we speak with Steve Harrison from the Australian Rights Coalition about why the organisation backed a campaign in the Secret Harbour by-election, what it hoped to achieve, and what happened after voters went to the polls.

ARC says it contributed $20,000 to the campaign. The official WA Electoral Commission result shows One Nation’s Luke Herdegen was elected with 57% of the two party preferred vote.

But one result does not prove that one donation caused an election outcome. We look at the evidence, the limits of that evidence, and what the experience may mean for shooting organisations considering more direct political engagement.

We also discuss where ARC goes next, what supporters are being asked to fund, and why accountability matters when shooting organisations enter the political arena.

Check out the ARC’s site at australianrightscoalition.org.au/

If you value independent firearms-policy reporting and our FOI work, consider supporting Gun News Australia through Patreon at patreon.com/c/gunnewsaustralia

#GunNewsAustralia #LicensedShooters #FirearmsPolicy #WesternAustralia #SecretHarbour #AustralianPolitics #ShootingCommunity #PoliticalAccountability

NCAT OUTCOME: We took NSW Police to NCAT to find out what Australia’s firearms regulators discuss behind closed doors — and while we lost the case, the published reasons still reveal something important.

The decision confirms that NSW Police relies on the Firearms and Weapons Policy Working Group when developing firearms policy, and that the group discusses what to regulate, who to regulate and how to regulate.

That matters because it points to a national round table of regulators who shape the rules that affect licensed shooters, clubs, hunting and the shooting sports — while shooters are not allowed to be at the table.

In this episode, we explain what the decision says, what it still leaves unanswered, and why this was never just a fight over paperwork.

We also thank those who backed the challenge, because whatever the outcome, the message was sent: shooters will fight, and we will use lawful processes where we can. In particular, those who contributed to the legal bill through PayPal, GoFundMe & by being a Patreon member.

READ THE FULL DECISION HERE: Jenkins v Commissioner of Police, NSW Police Force [2026] NSWCATAD 292 – https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/nsw/NSWCATAD/2026/292.html

#GunNewsAustralia #NSWPolice #NCAT #GunPolicy #FirearmsLaw #ShootingSports #FOI #GovernmentTransparency

NSW LIBERALS have changed direction on key parts of the state’s firearms laws, proposing to freeze the buyback while a Commission of Inquiry reviews the legislation.

IN THIS EPISODE, we speak with Australian Hunting Podcast's Jason Selmes, about what the change could mean in practice for licensed shooters, including the proposal to remove firearm caps for primary producers and competition shooters who can demonstrate a genuine need.

We also examine the questions that remain unresolved: how the Liberal’s new “genuine and demonstrable need” proposal would actually work, what happens to the buyback during an inquiry, and whether the firearms registry, licensing system and intelligence-sharing arrangements need closer scrutiny.

The bigger issue is whether this represents a broader change in the way firearms policy is being discussed — and whether governments are properly listening to the people with practical knowledge of shooting.

Listen to the end for the parts of the policy that still need much more detail.

#GunNewsAustralia #NSWPolitics #FirearmsPolicy #LicensedShooters #ShootingSports #GunLaws #FirearmsLicensing #Australia

LABOR'S GUN CAP was defeated in Tasmania's House of Assembly by the narrowest possible margin: 16 votes to 15.

But the argument has not disappeared. Labor's police spokesperson, Jen Butler, used the parliamentary debate to explain why Labor believes government should limit the number of firearms Tasmanians can own.

In this episode, you will hear Butler's key statements in her own words. We examine what Labor means by “excessive accumulation” of firearms (ie more than 5), and whether the claimed connection between firearm numbers and public safety is supported by any form of evidence.

The wider bill also affects citizenship requirements, firearm classifications, grandfathering and antique firearms.

But the cap vote carries the clearest political warning for shooters: one member of Parliament changed the result so you MUST make sure you vote for your sport.

Tasmanian shooters need to understand what was proposed, who supported it and what it means for voting at the next election.

SUBSCRIBE to Gun News Australia, SHARE this episode with another shooter and SUPPORT the work through Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/c/gunnewsaustralia/membership) so we can keep examining the evidence governments would rather avoid.

#Tasmania #FirearmCaps #GunNewsAustralia #LicensedShooters #FirearmLaw #JenButler #AustralianPolitics #ShootersFishersFarmers

AUSTRALIA WANTS Olympic shooting medals—but families and clubs are being left to finance the facilities athletes need to train on.

In our latest episode, we speak with two-time Olympian Aislin Jones and her father and coach, Dave Jones, about Victoria’s abandoned 2026 Commonwealth Games plans and the shotgun facilities that never became the promised sporting legacy.

Aislin explains the hours of travel and home simulation required to train for ISSF skeet. Dave outlines what Olympic trap infrastructure costs, why rural athletes are being left behind and why shooting families have had to invest in facilities that governments routinely provide for other sports.

We also trace the history of Victoria’s proposed state shooting centre, the Shooting Sports Facilities Program, and the infrastructure Australia needs now if it is serious about developing athletes for Brisbane 2032.

Support independent firearms-policy reporting and help Gun News Australia make more evidence-based episodes: https://www.patreon.com/c/gunnewsaustralia/membership

#GunNewsAustralia #OlympicShooting #AislinJones #ShootingSports #CommonwealthGames #Brisbane2032 #TargetShooting #VictorianPolitics