‘Good people should be able to have weapons’: Premier again dismisses buyback
A gun buyback scheme for Queensland has again been ruled out by the premier, despite a weekend drive-by attack south of Brisbane where four people were shot, leaving a teenage girl fighting for life.
Police responded to reports of gunshots fired from a vehicle about 8.15pm on Saturday outside the Fitzys Loganholme centre on Bryants Road in Logan, where a boxing event was being held.
A 19-year-old Jimboomba woman, believed to be a bystander and not the intended target, was shot in the head and neck and rushed to Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital in critical condition.
Three men – a 38-year-old from Browns Plains, a 37-year-old from Salisbury and 27-year-old from Cornubia – were also shot and taken to hospital.
All were stable by Sunday.
CCTV captured two men wearing balaclavas and gloves in the vehicle.
“Police are throwing absolutely everything at this, and seeking to bring those offenders to justice,” Premier David Crisafulli said on Monday.
“There aren’t too many Queenslanders who haven’t been rocked by it.”
Asked if a gun buyback – which Queensland did not take part in following the Bondi shooting – would be re-examined, he said:“No, absolutely not.”
Crisafulli added he “categorically” did not believe such schemes reduced gun crime.
“We have laws to make sure people who are crooks and terrorists are held accountable, and not innocent people,” the premier told reporters.
“In the case of this incident, there’s somebody who has allegedly done one of the most incredibly harmful and disgraceful actions ever, and that person is the one who deserves to be put behind bars for a long, long time. That’s where our focus is.”
He later added: “Good people should be able to have weapons. Bad people should have none. Terrorists and crooks should never have a gun.”
Crisafulli said the case would be a test for new gun laws passed by the state government earlier in the year, and included provisions to crack down on drive-by shootings.
The premier was speaking from the Redlands alongside senior ministers including Attorney-General Deb Frecklington and Police Minister Dan Purdie about new bail laws.
The legislation includes a new “high degree of confidence” test that requires police and courts to refuse bail unless satisfied an offender will not reoffend while on bail.
Those who commit serious offences while on bail would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 12 months’ imprisonment.
The bill would also remove the need for police to consider diversionary options such as administering a caution before commencing proceedings against youths.
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