STAFF REPORTER
Crossbows will be banned from Western Australia this Saturday.
Amendments to the Weapons Act 1999 will reclassify crossbows from a controlled weapon to a prohibited weapon.
The ban follows an agreement by the Australasian Police Ministers’ Council that crossbows should be outlawed across Australia.
As controlled weapons, crossbows can until Saturday be bought at a number of specialised outlets.
But that is about to change with strict controls from Saturday limiting the circumstances under which crossbows can be lawfully procured.
Police Minister Rob Johnson said he had been in regular contact with the Halstead family, whose son Christopher was killed with a crossbow in 2009.
Mr Johnson said the family had given their strong support for changes to the law.
“We want to reduce the likelihood that a crossbow falls into the wrong hands and is used to injure or kill a person or animal,” he said.
Under the changes, collectors, sporting archers and producers of Robin Hood-style movies will be the only people allowed to have crossbows.
Anyone with a crossbow who does not fall into one of these groups must now lawfully dispose of the weapon, destroy it or surrender it to a police station.
Retailers will still be able to sell and supply crossbows but only where one of the exceptions apply.
A maximum penalty of $36,000 and three years jail will apply to anyone caught flouting the revised law.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Banning the crossbow in WA shouldn’t of happened. I think the WA Government rushed in this law so they could please the family the dead guy.
I think they should of made permits for crossbows.
The police minister Rob Johnson should resign becuase he is the … [deleted for legal reasons - Ed] in the WA liberal party.
The only people who should be punished by the police are the purpotrators of crime. Not law abiding people as it is affecting currently.
… this case … (was) way out of line. Anyone doing this shit should be charged and prosecuted …
I can go bow hunting vermin tomorrow with no license, not restrictions, club membership.
But I can’t evn target shoot with a sporting crossbow in Perth ???
This government need to stop this nanny state rubbish and deliver the legislation where its need. At the perputrators of crime, not at the choice of weapon.
Its rubbish like this thats made my vote clear at the next state election.
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Edited down for legal reasons.
Ed
Personally I dont like cross bows or any other kind of bow for that mater but I dislike the way the government and the coppers deem them to be illegal because they just dont like them. It is tragic that the young fella was killed and the weapon was a crossbow. But more people are killed and maimed by cricket and baseball bats each year we dont need them so we should ban them too. As for powerful sports cars motorbikes and even alcohol and cigarettes buy the argument used by the police and governmant we dont need them either so they too should be put on the scrap heap. The deterant isnt working there for the penalty should be steeper Macree gets 6 years but now if you get caught with a cross bow you may get longer. maybey if you were adiquately punished for the killing then the deterent may work insted of punishing the law abiding citizens for some thing that may or may not happen.