On The Land
14 April, 2023
Knuth backs gun owners over licensing
MEMBER for Hill Shane Knuth has stood up for local gun owners and is pushing for them to have legal representation at hearings regarding Weapons Licence application refusals.
Mr Knuth was informed by a number of sources that within the past three months, Weapons Licencing submitted objections to QCAT that would see people undergoing weapons licencing appeals not be allowed legal representation.
He is calling on the Minister for Police, Mark Ryan, to instruct Weapons Licensing to drop its objections.
This follows on from recent revelations that revealed wait times within the QPS Weapons Licencing division have hit more than eight months, for licence applications and 46 days to obtain a permit to acquire.
“The Minister basically agreed that appeals to QCAT are legal matters that should follow the letter of the law, yet emphatically said no to withdrawing Weapons Licencing objections to allow average Queenslanders the right to legal representation at these hearings,” Mr Knuth said.
“We have a number of farmers and law-abiding citizens whose weapons licence renewals or new applications appear to be automatically denied.
“However, when applicants in the past appealed to QCAT and had legal representation they were more likely to have the decision overturned.
“Make your own mind up as to why only a few months ago weapons licencing has started objecting to licence applicants receiving legal representation at QCAT hearings.”
