Gun lobby calls the shots as Queensland weakens gun controls

Recently released Queensland police data shows the David Crisafulli-led Liberal National Party government has all but ceded gun control to the firearms lobby. 

As a result, gun theft is up, licence removal in domestic violence cases is down and the state is awash with more guns than any other Australian jurisdiction.  

Queensland is one of Australia’s weakest links in firearm control, putting the community and police at unnecessary risk of gun violence. 

To make matters worse, the government refuses to limit the guns an individual can own and doggedly refuses to join the national buyback scheme – despite the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion’s explicit recommendation. 

The government doesn’t even pretend to listen to the community; since Bondi, unlike other jurisdictions, it has failed to hold any public gun reform consultations. 

In place of real action, it has increased prison sentences for stealing guns or selling them while hiding behind the empty rhetoric of being tough on crime.  

So, why has Premier Crisafulli intervened to oppose gun limits and participate in a national firearms buyback scheme? 

This is particularly perplexing as it was Queensland police officers who were gunned down in December 2022 at Wieambilla where the three shooters had amassed an arsenal of weapons and ammunition. 

Put simply, the firearms lobby set to work then as now opposing any reforms aimed at tightening Australia’s gun laws. 

Its playbook: in the aftermath of a shooting outrage, the lobby keeps a low public profile, quietly repeating the US-inspired mantra that firearm violence has nothing to do with guns, and that it is the criminals we need to worry about.  

Meanwhile, donations from gun lobby groups to political parties remain legal in Queensland.  

The real consequences of this worrying relationship are revealed by Queensland Police Service (QPS) figures obtained through a Right to Information request in April. 

Queensland now has 1,154,298 registered firearms, up from 940,644 in 2021. 

That’s more guns than any other state, including the more heavily populated New South Wales. 

QPS figures also show 400 guns were stolen from private residences in Queensland in 2025 (up by 100 on the previous year) of which only 70 were recovered – that’s at least a gun a day feeding the illegal market. 

So much for keeping firearms out of the clutches of criminals and terrorists. 

These figures are dramatically worse than five years ago, with 268 firearms stolen in 2021 and 277 in 2022.  

Of great concern is the sharp decline in gun licences revoked in domestic violence cases. These cancelations tumbled from 58 in 2021 to only 11 in 2025 – all while domestic violence continues to be a serious problem accounting for 50% of all assaults in Queensland. 

Total license cancellations numbered 790 in 2025 – down from 1107 in 2024 and 1308 in 2023 – while over 15,000 further licenses were granted. 

All these figures are headed in the wrong direction. 

Gun Control Australia’s Piers Grove was on target when he said the Queensland government had “blinked” in the face of gun industry pressure. 

“When faced with a choice between community safety and industry pressure, this government chose the gun lobby,” Mr Grove said. 

“Queensland now risks becoming a dumping ground for firearms restricted elsewhere. 

“By refusing to act, Queensland is inviting a build-up of weapons that other states have recognised as too dangerous for civilian ownership,” he said. 

Queenslanders will remain over-exposed to a preventable shooting atrocity until this government takes courage, accepts responsibility and wrests back gun control. 

Frank Noakes is an advocate for nature, peace and human rights