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Australia home to up to 600,000 illegal firearms: gov't report

Xinhua, October 21, 2016 Adjust font size:

As many as 600,000 firearms have made their way into Australia illegally, according to the chief of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) on Friday.

Chief executive of ACIC, Chris Dawson said Australia was in the midst of a surge in the number of illegal guns circulating Australia streets, and blamed outlaw bikie gangs and organized crime groups for the rise in illegal gun numbers.

"It is a common feature when police are searching bikies or Middle Eastern crime groups that weapons are found," Dawson told Fairfax Media on Friday.

ACIC's 2016 report on guns suggested there were around a quarter of a million illegal firearms on Australian streets, but Dawson said that was a conservative estimate and under United Nations calculation, the figure was more likely to be upwards of 600,000.

ACIC said there was a need for further consultation and cooperation between the state governments to close a number of loopholes which make it easy for criminals to steal, deregister and import deactivated handguns.

It also suggested lawmakers impose an amnesty program so that grey and black market guns can be handed over to authorities.

"Grey market firearms are targeted by criminals because they are difficult for law enforcement to trace to the last known legal owner," the report said.

"A national program encouraging the registration and/or surrender of unregistered firearms could significantly reduce the number of firearms available to the illicit market."

The report comes amidst heated discussion in Parliament regarding the controversial ban on a rapid-fire Adler shotgun, while earlier this year, Australia's second largest city Melbourne was labeled the crime capital of Australia. Endit